


Twelve 1/35 Soldiers

by ForcedRedacted



Series: FFVII [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Complete, F/M, One-shot that exploded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-06-29 18:59:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 97,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19836526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForcedRedacted/pseuds/ForcedRedacted
Summary: Once upon a time, there were rumours that if you collected all twelve of the 1/35 soldiers, a good clone of Sephiroth would appear and fight by your side, impressed by your skills.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is being migrated over from fanfiction.net. As such, I've a much better chance of catching any errors and mistakes than I did when I was originally posting it. I am my own beta reader, after all, and I miss quite a few things when I'm typing rapidly.  
> Happens sometimes.  
> -KD/FR

_Once upon a time, there were rumours that if you collected all twelve of the 1/35 soldiers, a good clone of Sephiroth would appear and fight by your side, impressed by your skills._

_~~~_

The last two, were the difficult ones to hunt down. Cloud had found ten others and only needed the last two to complete the set, and his hobby had started when he learned that they had made a 1/35 soldier of Zack fair. The last two he needed were Genesis and Angeal, and after two months of tracking down who sold the exclusive, collectors items to whom, where they were stolen and where they had disappeared he was running out of leads. The last one he had was a vague, blurry image on a security camera of a tall man with a bandanna across his face, waist-length black hair tied back in a braid and the bangs held down with beads so that they framed his face. Thick sunglasses, a scarf and baggy clothes had obscured so much of the individual that it really came down to only two identifying traits that he could rely on was the hair and the height, which was anywhere from six foot to six three.

Either one of these things could have pointed to a tall woman, but there had been something feline about the movements that had Cloud skittish about his final lead.

_(But why, he thought to himself, why would -HE- break into a hobby store, steal a 1/35 soldier, and then never be seen again? There was no conceivable way that it could be used to destroy the planet. He tried not to think about it too hard.)_

He found himself, finally, standing outside of a beach house just south of Costa del Sol. There was a large porch, one of those mesh recliner lawn chairs and a table with the remnants of some sort of orange coloured drink. Two surfboards were leaned against the wall beside the door, one of which was cracked. Sandals were set next to the screen door, and as he watched a tall man opened the door casually with one hand, the other holding a new drink and stepping into his sandals. He paused, as he noticed Cloud watching him, and two black eyebrows rose from where they were hidden by the sunglasses.

Mister 'Stephen Raul' eased the door shut behind him, and took a sip of his drink. Each recognized the other in the moment that blue eyes met green ones laced with a faint mako glow, regardless of the dark sunglasses that covered them. Cloud was the first to break the unintentional standoff, stepping forward and resting a hand on one of the swords in the harness across his back.

Sephiroth had always been quick, but the blond had barely finished the step forward before the cracked surfboard came careening through the air towards Cloud, the door snapping open. Long black hair disappeared through it as the delivery boy brought the sword across to bat the surfboard out of the air, and he charged across the lawn to catch the door as it finished swinging closed. Tearing it open, he charged in to see his quarry slinging a pack over his back and charging out the screen door across the open concept building from the entrance and bolting out.

By the time Cloud made it to the back door, Mister 'Stephen Raul' was gone. A search of the house revealed nothing useful. It looked largely like the home of someone on vacation, flower necklaces and brightly coloured tees that buttoned up the front. A search of the trash revealed a number of empty boxes of black hair dye, a local newspaper and a recipe for kabobs with large sections crossed out.

Of the two 1/35 soldiers he had gone there for, the only sign that remained was two small circles on one of the bedside shelving units that otherwise had a slight coating of dust on it.

~~~

"I know it was him." Cloud paced restlessly, trying to puzzle out what was going on. Vincent watched him from a few feet away, attention divided between the pacing almost-soldier and gun maintenance. "He ran when he saw me. That all but proves it."

"What does Tifa think about this?"

"She thinks it can't have been him, because he wasn't trying to destroy the planet." Cloud turned to stare at former turk, Vincent's words having garnered a slightly raised eyebrow. "... You don't believe me either."

"I believe..." The gunman looked back to his work as he finished reassembling his Cerberus. "That you and he have a unique ability to recognize one another. It's also safer to assume that it might be."

"Why now, though? Geostigma was cured four years ago. The planet is healing. Wouldn't he try and stop it?" The swordsman resumed pacing, hands clasped behind his back. "I have to find him again. I have to stop him. I've spent two weeks trying so far, and haven't turned up anything. Feel up to a manhunt?"

The former turk considered the words for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

~~~

Stephen Raul, or so he had accidentally chosen as a name for himself, was camped out in the mountains around Nibelheim. West of the ruined city by a few days, though he was currently on his way down into the valley to see what he could do about warmer clothes. Whatever he could scavenge from Nibelheim would have to do, considering he was convinced he would have to lay low for some time. It was a risk, but even he had to admit that wearing flip flops, shorts and a button up tee (colourfully patterned with jungle flowers, at that) was a bad idea for the mountains. He could build a rough shelter, but it wouldn't do more than take the edge off.

He knew he had made a mistake when he saw the black motorcycle parked between two buildings, and mentally cursed to himself. Briefly, he considered retreating but knew that - cold and hungry as he was - this was a better opportunity (and less of a risky one) than trying to take on a pack of wolves bare handed to kill, try and skin, cook and cure the hides of. He would simply have to step carefully and quietly as he broke into one of the restored houses.

And he was. The window barely made any noise as he carefully broke it and then reached in to open the latch. Easing through, he felt that he was practically silent and wraith-like in his passage. Pants and a shirt, socks and shoes (none of which fit quite right, made for someone a little smaller than him) were found and he quietly swapped his clothes for them. The kitchen was next, and Raul was careful to pick a few cans of easy to cook soup before snagging one of the kitchen knives. Useful in the event that he needed to open one of the cans and for killing the wolves he felt he inevitably would need to-

Broken glass crunched faintly.

Stairs, he thought to himself as he turned and tried to make his way along as quietly as possible. Upstairs, out a window, then run without looking back. He adjusted his grip on the knife as quiet footsteps cautiously padded down the hall towards the living room that was across from the kitchen. Easing out, he glanced at the blond's back as Cloud studied the living room, making his way up the stairs even as the swordsman turned to start searching the kitchen. At the top of the stairs, Raul turned to face the direction he was traveling only to pause and blink at the triple barreled gun inches from his face. There was a quick estimation of the average gunman's ability to pull a trigger that was compared to his ability to duck, and decided it would be a Bad Idea(tm) to try.

Footsteps started on the stairs below him before stopping.

"Sephiroth."

"I only came for food and clothes. Let me leave, and I will be on my way."

"What are you planning this time, Sephiroth? How are you going to try kill the planet this time?" The accusatory, angry tone drew a sigh out of the man with the knife, and he slowly turned to face Cloud.

"I'm not." There was a sense of bitter satisfaction that washed over him at the disbelief and confusion that flit across the blond swordsman's face, a sort of _told you so_ that came from within and resounded in his head before it was squashed. "I just want to live."

"You're lying."

"Look at me, Cloud. I have a kitchen knife and I'm wearing stolen clothes." He slowly reached and pulled one of the cans of soup out of his pocket, showcasing it. "Food. A way to defend myself."

"You don't need a knife, you have Masamune-"

"A sword that I can't call. A sword that only responds to Jenova cells. I'm a clone, Cloud. I want no part in the destruction of the world. I only look like him." Mostly true. All attempts to summon the sword had ended in failure and frustration, and he honestly had given up on sailing the cosmos. He was also fairly certain that he was a clone, though the way his memories were muddled and fragmented before he had found himself wandering the Forest of the Ancients aimlessly made it a guess at best. He certainly felt like the Silver General, though he wasn't about to admit it when it meant he was likely about to die.

The point of the sword dipped slightly as blue eyes turned thoughtful, suddenly unsure of the conviction that had brought them there before they hardened once more.

"If that's true, then you won't complain or resist when we bring you in to the WRO. Sephiroth has a high count of J-cells. A clone would have less, and even if you're not _him_ , if you have too high a count he could control you." The tip of the sword inched back up, and Raul was made perfectly aware of the gun that was still pointed at the back of his head by how leather creaked as the gunman shifted his stance slightly.

"... Very well. But I want to get my backpack from the outskirts of town before we go."

~~~

"Do you still have the two soldier replicas?"

"... I do."

"Give them to me."

Mako-laced green eyes snapped over to Cloud as the swordsman kept pace beside Raul.

"... No."

"You're not in a position to-"

"Cloud, they're all I have of the two people that-... That Sephiroth would have moved the world for. I need them."

They got onto the boat to Junon in silence, blue and red eyes watching warily for any signs of aggression. One set was confused, while both met and shared a contemplative glance.

The WRO headquarters was a sprawling, cliff-side complex that had been reinforced and rebuilt a few years ago after the Deepground incident. They marched the clone (who still insisted on being called 'Stephen' or 'Raul') through the doors and down to one of the Labs. Reeve had set up the required staff and facilities, though he remained notably concerned. He refused to allow anyone with Hojo-like tendencies to stay with his company for very long, and while he had agreed that testing had to be done when they talked to him over the phone he was worried about how 'Raul' might react to it.

Marked indifference, was the reaction, as the clone sat on the bench and obligingly held out an arm for them to take a blood sample. When asked about it, he simply shrugged and remained outwardly silent. Internally, he had already resigned himself to the worst and was banking heavily on their humanitarian methods with rebuilding and healing the planet. He had gone willingly, he hadn't fought, he had shown no ill intentions. If they planned to end him for being manageable, then he would fight but until then...

_(Another time, he could have killed them all and walked out as the buildings burned down behind him. He still could, but he didn't like the odds he faced with the Heroes of the Planet slowly piling into the observation room so that they could gawk and talk among themselves as if he couldn't hear them. Self preservation, as much as a general exhaustion where the topic of fighting was concerned stayed his hand. Besides, maybe they would leave him alone afterwards, a 'reward' for good behavior.)_

The blood test results would be back in a few hours as the labs rushed to work on them. In the meantime, he was left under the watchful gaze of the gunman and the hyperactive ninja. One watched silently as the other peppered him with questions and accusations about the war against Wutai. It had ended years ago, so he found little reason to do more than try and ignore her. Notably, when she sat next to him to fume and continue running her mouth, she also tried to rifle through his pockets. He didn't bother to contain the smirk as her frustration grew when she found nothing.

The arrival of Tifa broke the constant chatter, as when she stepped into the room the princess shut up and threw her hands into the air, stalking out. Brown eyes shot through with hints of red watched the clone warily before she came to a stop in front of him.

"... Are you really him?"

"No more than Cloud was really Zack." Or so he hoped.

"You know about that?"

One shoulder rose in a partial shrug before dropping just as smoothly. "My memories are... Scattered. Piece-meal."

Tifa frowned, before taking in his appearance. "... Why did you put beads in your hair?"

 _Because my bangs defy gravity otherwise and give me a very visible silhouette._ "Because I like the way they click against each other." _Because it would have made even Angeal laugh._

"And the black? Why didn't you cut your hair?"

 _I swore to only ever trim it, because it was one of the few things I could control. Because it irritated Hojo._ "Black is far more common than silver. You have long brown hair." _Aerith had long brown hair. Zack's hair was long and black._

"Why don't you want to kill the planet any more?"

 _Because destroying it won't bring them back._ "Because I'm one of the people who lives on it. The Promised Land-..." He paused, before sighing and dropping his gaze. "... Sephiroth was wrong. This planet, wherever you spend time with those you care for, is the Promised Land. Sailing across the cosmos to forge a new civilization on a distant planet... Is pointless."

Tifa regarded him for a long moment before turning around and exiting the room.

~~~

It turned out that any S-cells or J-cells had been 'sterilized', similar to how Geostigma had been cured without removing them or preventing his body from maintaining its proper functions. He had enough humanity (physically at least) to adapt and survive with what he had, though the 'extra' cells no longer reproduced and were slowly being overtaken by 'normal' ones. He was still infused with mako, to the degree that the average person likely couldn't withstand but otherwise relatively human.

This surprised him perhaps more than the others, but he did his best to hide it. It was nothing when compared to the next surprise that awaited him.

"Would you consider working for the WRO?" Reeve Tuesti smiled and offered out a clipboard with some paperwork on it. "We're trying to help the planet, and that seems like something you want too."

Raul couldn't help but think that it was so very Shinra of him, and found himself mildly impressed.


	2. Chapter 2

He drew the line at the uniform. He also was very verbose (or at least, as verbose as he got) about how he hadn't really fought anything since he had woken up that he could remember despite the fact that he felt like he probably could. They decided on a compromise: instead of the red and white uniform he could wear something darker that didn't draw attention to the fact that he looked exactly like Sephiroth. In addition, while he wouldn't be expected to go out and fight monsters, he could spar and train and get 'back into shape' so that he could go out, scout, and return with a report of a situation. He reluctantly agreed, so long as he could reserve the right to decline missions. His reasoning for it was that he didn't want to go around killing people, and everyone agreed with him on that.

There were more tests of course. To gauge what level of missions they could send him on, they needed to know what he could do so he jogged laps around a track, lifted weights and both caught and threw tennis balls once he had clothing that fit. His roots had started to show silver by then, and he formally requested the supplies to take care of it along with several other personal items that he hadn't thought to ask for before. Scissors let him trim his hair, and he looked mildly baffled at the shaving razor that he was presented with before mentioning that he had never once had to shave his face.

There were minor barbs about the likeliness of him having hair anywhere else on his body that were ignorable, considering they came from a red-headed Turk. He vaguely recalled that his name was Reno, but took care to try and avoid him as best he could. They watched him, but aside from Reno the rest of the Turks seemed content to keep the same distance he sought.

He was given his own phone, as well as free reign to roam, watch, listen and learn. Some files on the computers were restricted but largely everything pointed towards Reeve being honest with his intentions. Even when it was brought up that the clone hadn't so much as looked at a weapon in the training room, the Director simply asked why and seemed content with the answer of 'I don't feel ready for it yet'. Compared to when he had worked for Shinra-

( _Did he ever work for Shinra? He remembered quite a few things about the company, most from a first-person perspective too, but were they his memories or Sephiroth's or was he Sephiroth? Or was he a Soldier, maybe, taken by Hojo to experiment on? Or maybe he was just someone who had fallen into a pool of mako and infected by Sephiroth's cells in the lifestream at the same time that he was suffused with mako-_

 _Thoughts like that only went in circles, he reminded himself. Whoever he had been or Other Things had tried to make him, he was Raul now._ )

-Compared to the memories he had of working for Shinra, it seemed that there was a whole lot less 'monopolize and rule the world' and a whole lot more 'save the planet' going around. Homes were built, along with wind turbines and solar panels. Farms, plant nursery's and breeding programs were instituted as the WRO tried to repopulate the plants animals that were close to extinction just as much as they scattered seeds and wildflowers to try and turn the barren wastes that surrounded Midgar into hospitable terrain. Mutated monsters were reported, squads dispatched to lure the creatures away so that they could be taken care of without collateral damage. Everyone who could work, did, even orphaned children who acted as scavengers, trading scrap metal for meals and pay.

All the while, Raul learned. He familiarized himself with the recent history, filled in the gaps in his memory as best he could and frowned as he tried to determine where, exactly, Sephiroth had gone off the deep end. Naturally, nobody wanted to talk to him about it, which only made him redouble his efforts to find out. The best guess he had was Genesis and Angeal defected - which he vaguely remembered, though it was largely a nebulous sadness, hurt and sense of betrayal - and then the Silver General had gotten sent on a mission. Somewhere. Probably.

There was a frustrating lack of information beyond that point, and it led him to wander aimlessly as he tried to provoke memories of what might have occurred. It figured that the one time he wanted the inherited memories to swim through his head, they refused to. He could recall clearly the thirteen different types of coffee that were available from the machines in Shinra Tower a decade ago, but no, nothing useful.

He was -not- pouting, damn it.

Leaning against the railing as he overlooked the cliff side that the WRO compound was built into, the clone let out a sigh. If he could just understand -why-, then maybe...

"Reeve says you keep trying to look into what happened." Tifa's voice came from what was probably to most considered a respectable distance away, though the clone felt it was more an indication of how socially awkward it was for him to be there with the face he had 'inherited'. Raul glanced over and nodded slowly.

"I want to know-"

"What happens if you go crazy too?" There was determination in her red-laced brown eyes, and the clone straightened slightly.

"... I won't." Her lips thinned into a line, and he shifted away from the railing as he frowned at her. "I'm -not- him."

"The things he learned, they made him into a monster. Stop looking into this." Tifa turned on her heel, leaving Raul to wonder at what might have happened before an idea occurred to him.

If Tifa felt so strongly about it, then maybe she had been involved. The clenched fists, the stiffness in her gait as she stormed off, the bitterness in her expression all seemed to point to wards the possibility, but... Maybe he was reading too much into it.

* * *

"He just won't stop poking his nose into it. Thank Gaia that most of the job of hiding it was done by Shinra already when he disappeared." Tifa drew her legs up against her chest as she sighed, shoulders drooping as she rested her forehead against her knees. Vincent sat nearby, cleaning one of his guns. "I'm worried. I don't think the world can handle another Sephiroth, not when it's still recovering from the Geostigma, to say nothing of Meteorfall. Most of us don't have the strength we used to. Cloud found it again, but... I don't know. What would you do?"

"... As your friend?"

"Or as a Turk." The brunette sighed, lifting her head and leaning it back against the wall. She was sitting on the cot in the corner of his room while Vincent sat at the desk with only the lamp clamped to the corner turned on. He was quiet for a long moment before setting his hands on the desk and inspecting the many pieces of the Cerberus.

"... I would tell him. But... I would do it in a controlled way. Feed him bits of the truth, monitor his mental state. If he seemed close to cracking..."

"... Then while he's still... Not Sephiroth, you'd make sure he never could turn into him." Tifa blinked, before nodding slowly.

"I would lead with informing him of the potential consequences of this course of action. If he still wished to continue, then it would not fall into the category of a moral conundrum." Red eyes drifted across the room to trace over the fighter. "I don't think he will crack."

"What? Why not?"

* * *

"I... Am very surprised, Miss Tifa, that you would come here. I was... Not expecting you." Raul opened the door to his rooms the rest of the way, keeping his bafflement off of his face at the sight of the brunette.

"Stop doing that. It makes you... Much more like _him_." She folded her arms, clearly uncomfortable.

"I... Am sorry?" He ever so slightly quirked a black-dyed brow, leaning back as she shook her head.

"-That-. Sephiroth was known for not being very expressive. For being very controlled. If you... If you stop hiding what you're feeling, it's easier."

"... Thank you for the advice?" Had she come there today to give him pointers on how to seem different? He briefly wondered where she got the idea from. "You knew him well then, I take it."

( _Though, in all honesty, it was a good one. He had spent hours in front of a mirror, practicing and controlling his facial muscles. It was so much more unnerving for others that way, when the slightest smirk could mean any number of things._ )

"We met a few times. That's... Sort of what I came here today for. I thought about it. You're not going to stop looking into what happened, are you." She held his gaze levelly, for all that he was roughly half a foot taller than her. He shook his head. "I didn't think so. I'm going to help you, but there are a few conditions to this."

"Ah." Raul nodded before stepping back slightly and gestured for her to come in. "Perhaps this is not a discussion to have in the hallway."

Tifa blinked before glancing around, pinking slightly in embarrassment before nodding and cautiously stepping into his rooms. They were fairly sparse, with the living room attached to the kitchenette. Two doors exited the back of the room, both shut though she presumed that they were likely the bedroom and bathroom. It looked rather like a hotel room - somewhere someone was briefly staying, but not lived in.

"You should get some art for the walls, you know. It might liven this place up a little."

The clone stared at the back of the main door as he closed it, trying to puzzle out what was going on. There was caution in her tone, forced cheerfulness and as he turned to study her the former grew and the latter faded. "I never really considered it. You said there were conditions?"

"Yes." The fighter sat down on the armchair, before nodding towards the couch. Raul obligingly sat down, stifling the awkwardness he felt at being invited to sit in his own 'home'. "The first is obvious. If I start telling you things, and you start going crazy I'm not going to tell you anything more. I don't want another Sephiroth."

He could understand that, and so he nodded and gestured for her to continue. He honestly expected it to be much worse-

"-And if you -do- go crazy, we're going to stop you."

Ah. There it was. Raul nodded again, folding his hands politely on his lap.

"I can provide some proof, though... A lot of it got destroyed. So if you want to go anywhere to confirm parts of the story we can go. Vincent's agreed to come with us, just in case."

The 'just in case', the clone figured, was in the event that he -did- go mad. To which, he couldn't rightly blame them. He didn't want to go around killing people either, though he -was- particularly attached to the concept of living. The fighter studied his expression, brows furrowing.

"You're doing it again. Your face could be a picture on a magazine for all that I can tell what you're thinking. You should be more expressive."

"You think it will... Help?" Raul picked his words carefully, trying to frown as Tifa nodded. "I will try, then. I will need help, however. I can't see my own face, after all."

The fighter nodded, before steepling her fingers. "When do you want me to start, then?"

"As close to the beginning as possible. I have tea, we can begin as soon as it's prepared."

* * *

"HIIIEEEYAH! Release Tifa, you Fiend!"

Raul blinked solemnly down at the vent dust that had utterly ruined his tea, only to glance over at where Tifa was waving her hands through the air to try and clear the worst of the smoke bomb that had gone off. He was very careful to ignore the large shuriken that was being held against his neck.

"Yuffie! It's okay, we're just talking." The fighter finally shooed the ninja back, shooting the clone an apologetic look. "Sorry, Raul."

"It's fine. Good to know at least one person in this compound fits through the air ducts." He was trying for conversational, and felt as if perhaps he had succeeded when she rolled her eyes. "Tea, Miss Yuffie?"

"No! You probably poisoned it-"

"Yuffie! That's enou-"

"He's a MONSTER, Tiffs! He's killed countless people! He slaughtered thousands in Wutai! He can dye his hair black all he wants, but he's still the Demon-!"

"YUFFIE!" Tifa shook the younger girl by the shoulders, before sighing at the petulant expression she got for her troubles. "He's a clone. -He- didn't do those things. We've been talking this whole time, and he's... He's barely anything -like- Sephiroth."

Raul blinked at that, before pushing himself up quietly so that he could start making another batch of tea.

"Sephiroth is always smirking, saying cruel things and hurting people Yuffie. Raul hasn't hurt anyone, and he even ran away from Cloud." The fighter smiled slightly, giving the clone a slight nod before herding the ninja over to the couch where she glared at the clone and folded her arms. "We were just talking, honest. Look, I'm whole and unharmed. No stab wounds to be seen."

"But... But he's-"

"I wish there was something other than my death that could make up for the lives lost in Wutai, for any of the deaths that Sephiroth caused, Miss Yuffie. But I am most certainly not him." Raul rinsed his cup out in the sink before pouring himself some of the tea in the kettle. Turning back to the two women, he sighed softly and shook his head. "I could never imagine myself doing the things that he did."

( _A lie. He could imagine it quite well, with all the ease of recalling what he had eaten for breakfast._ )

"I know... That you don't trust me. I invite you to shadow me, if it would make you feel better. Watch me closely, catalog my actions. If you see anything that indicates I might start hunting down civilians for sport, I welcome my end at your hands."

( _Another lie. He would kill her before her blade reached his throat. Or wouldn't, said another little part of himself. He'd deserve it at that point._ )

Tifa nodded slightly, before pulling the ninja to sit with her on the couch. "See?"

"Fine, but if you step even a toe out've line, the White Rose of Wutai will be your doom!"

Raul set his tea on the counter so that he could bow. His resignation must have shown on his face, because the fighter's slight smile grew encouragingly.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Do you ever feel like... You need to go somewhere? Meet up with someone?" Tifa watched his face over the rim of her teacup. It was a plain porcelain affair, lacking decoration, having been the equivalent of standard issue when Raul had requested a tea set. He frowned, before nodding slowly._

_"At the beginning, when I was wandering what I would later be informed was the sleeping forest, I felt a pull to go what I presume was north. I disregarded it and went the opposite direction, ending up in the Bone Village."_

_"Why... Why did you disregard it?" The fighter set her cup down, brows furrowing._

_"Miss Tifa, if something implanted a nameless urge into you that was clearly unnatural, wouldn't your first thought be to disobey? To rebel? I was wounded, and the lure of safety, of allies when I had no memory of who might offer such a thing seemed... Too good to be true, if I'm being honest."_

_(He_ was _being honest. His instincts had screamed warnings at him every time he contemplated turning around and backtracking, and the very first time he remembered smooth, pale blue skin had felt revulsion and such utter horror that it had driven him to run, to flee, to get as far away as he could. He hadn't slept at all, and was exhausted by the time he had reached the edge of the trees.)_

* * *

Raul woke abruptly as the covers were hauled off of him, curling tighter around the pillow he was clutching to his chest and grunting at the way his knees informed him of how close the wall really was.

"We were supposed to leave for Nibelheim half an hour ago, Raul. Aren't you coming?"

Cloud, then, was the one in his room. Uncurling from the pillow, he rolled and shifted until he was sitting up and eased his massive braid out from where it had gotten trapped between the bed and the wall. "I... Must have slept through my alarm. I am sorry."

The swordsman looked over at where the alarm clock sat, unplugged on the table next to the bed, before shaking his head and throwing the bundle of hunter green clothes at the clone.

"Come on. Everyone is waiting for you."

* * *

_"May... I ask you for advice?" It was Raul's turn to watch Tifa over the edge of his teacup. As she nodded, his eyes narrowed slightly and his brows furrowed. "Everybody... Hates me. I do not blame them, but your advice about my facial expressions... Do you have any more advice that might help them set me apart from the Sephiroth that caused so much harm?"_

_The fighter set her cup down, carefully considering the question. "Well... Be nice. Be helpful. Don't get angry when someone is rude to you, because all they're going to see at first is the face you have and remember what -he- did. It's... Unnerving, really, even just sitting here and drinking tea with you but you don't have the same presence that Sephiroth does. It doesn't -feel- like you're going to leap off the couch and stab me."_

_She smiled at him after she spoke, and he answered it with a small one of his own._

* * *

Raul was fairly certain that riding in an airship was a new experience for him. Helicopters and planes didn't count, because this was an -air _ship_ \- and you could stand on a deck while holding onto a railing and enjoy both the view -and- the wind. The shape of the body sheltered the deck enough that, despite the speed they traveled at there was little fear of being torn free and plummeting to his death.

He enjoyed the wind. It made him feel like he was flying, despite the weight of eyes watching him like a hawk. Turning to lean back against the railing, he rather obviously let his gaze wander as he tried to find where, exactly, the ninja was. Nowhere obvious, though one patch of shadows at the edge of the door that led in seemed a little... Uneven. Briefly, he toyed with an idea before deciding to give it a shot.

"Do you like flying?" Silence answered him, though the _intent_ in the air spiked sharply. "... No, then. I quite like it, myself."

"Because you like looking down on people, Demon." The words were essentially spat from the shadow near the door, and he counted the response as a small victory despite their tone. The clone looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, no I don't quite think that's why. I get... Nervous, when we fly over land. Over the water, the way we are now, is the best. Nothing but blue as far as the eye can see."

( _He didn't actually get nervous over the land, but he -was- trying to make nice with the girl._ )

"You sound... Off, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm -fine-!" Yuffie snarled the words out, remaining tucked in the tiny space between the railing and the door that led back into the ship. "I don't need OR want your fake concern-"

The airship hit a patch of turbulence, and she started to slip backwards over the railing. She caught the bars and hung there, hissing even as he hurried over to help her back onto the safe side of the railing.

"I could have pulled myself back up!"

"You shouldn't have to."

 _(He could do this. He could make nice with people._ )

* * *

_"What? Why not?" Tifa shifted to the edge of the cot so that she could set her feet on the ground and rest her elbows on her knees. The ex-turk settled his gaze on her and then shifted it aside, contemplating his own words as if they had minorly surprised him._

_"I think... He already did, and put himself back together. He says he remembers nothing from before the point he had woken up in the sleeping forest, knowing who Sephiroth was and denied him. He also said that knows that he was someone else, before the sleeping forest, but I didn't find any signs that he was looking for who that was."_

_"So either he's lying, or..."_

_"Or he's decided to reinvent himself into a unique individual. Perhaps even both."_

* * *

Raul stepped away from the airship, surrounded by the heroes of Avalanch. Three of them, at least. Tifa walked beside him, Cloud took point and Yuffie flanked him. He hadn't missed the way the red-cloaked gunman had already left, likely to scout ahead. The town looked abandoned, buildings showing the wear and tear of the years. Weeds grew up from between the cobblestones, and it was a minor miracle that the fountain worked. The only building that looked damage was the mansion in the background.

"Anything, Raul?" The fighters voice drew his attention, and he glanced over at Tifa with a baffled expression.

"No, nothing. There is no pull to travel in any direction, and no voices. Not as of yet. Sephiroth had become distracted, even outside of the village?" Raul looked back up to the manor and then at the path that cut through the mountains behind it.

"He was. He was irritable, too." Cloud glanced back, studying the clone before nodding. "Let's go. The mansion is closer. Vincent said there might not be much left of the research, because he fought Deepground forces here."

"I will let you know if I begin to have flashbacks that might indicate a surfacing memory." Raul gestured for the others to proceed, and fell into step with them as they made their way quietly through the archway and across the cobblestones. Vincent was waiting for them at the entrance to the manor.

"The stairs down are damaged, and missing pieces. I have secured a rope."

"Thank's, Vincent." Tifa smiled gently, and he nodded politely to her before turning and leading the way into the mansion. The way had already been cleared of monsters, and before long they were easing their way down the rope that had been secured inside the tower, making their way to the basement. Some of the tunnels looked to have been collapsed, but the lab equipment was unmistakable when they passed into the library. Books lay scattered about, coated in a layer of dust. Raul stood still for a moment and frowned.

"I... Remember this place. I felt frustrated, and angry here." Kneeling down, the clone picked up one of the books and shook the dust free of it, turning it over to see what it was about. "... Genetic reconstruction...?"

"See? He's turning _eeevil_ already!"

"Raul?" Tifa waved at the ninja, bidding her to be quiet with the gesture as she stepped closer to the clone. "Are you okay? Still with us?"

"I... Yes. This... Is where he learned about Jenova. Or believed he did. The book to your left, Cloud, was one he found particularly important." He could remember reading it, recalled piecemeal what it was about and the isolation that he had felt even as he pointed it out. The blond swordsman nodded, stooping to pick it up and flip through it, frowning as he did. "There were others. A dozen or so important ones, scattered among the others. Let me see if I can find them."

"Jenova wasn't a Cetra, you know. She's a parasite, one that devours worlds and rides them to her next destination." Tifa moved to sit on the edge of the desk, watching the clone as he nodded slowly and started picking books out of the debris. Most were set on the shelves, while a select few were handed over to Cloud. "Sephiroth's mother was a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent."

"These books... They say that Jenova cells can lead us to the Promised Land." Raul frowned, staring down at the book in his hands. The silence that answered him brought his head up as he glanced at the others. "A land of peace and prosperity."

"It's... The Promised Land isn't a place, Raul. Sephiroth never understood that, and believed that it meant the Northern Crater." The fighter smiled slightly, or tried to at least as the clone closed the book and scoffed.

"Perhaps, for him, it was."

Tifa's smile evaporated, sharing a glance with Cloud before looking back at Raul and very carefully shifting on the edge of the desk, just in case she had to make a mad dash across the room. "... Why? What do you think?"

"That there is a Promised Land." The clone quirked a brow, folding his arms. "It isn't any single discernible location, however. It is wherever you find happiness. It could be a bar that you frequent, spending time with family and friends. It could be the observatory of an airship with the wind in your hair. It could be anywhere, with anyone, as long as you find yourself peaceful and content. It is up to each of us to find this place, this happiness."

He nodded to the last book he had given to Cloud, before looking back to the fighter. "It says in that one, that the Promised Land is where the Cetra went once they had finished traveling the land, healing and cultivating it, and that it was a place of supreme happiness. As someone who attempted to 'retire' to one of the beaches of Costa del Sol..."

Tifa smiled, relieved even as she settled onto her feet.

* * *

_"I don't even have a weapon." The words came out of the clone with a slightly joking tone, before he set his cup of tea down. "I also have no reason to even attempt such a thing. You... Out of all of them, you are trying the hardest to help me."_

_"Reeve is-"_

_"Hear me out." He raised a hand, and Tifa fell obligingly quiet as she set her cup of tea down as well. "I know, that it is hard. Reeve is doing what he can, yes. Everyone watches from a distance, however, unless I approach them. You came to me, you knocked on my door and have given me advice to help me distance myself from the memory of Sephiroth. Yes, this is the first time that you have however... It is... Very meaningful, to me, that you have."_

_"Cloud went through something like what you're going through, Raul. I helped him through it, and I've decided to help you through it too."_

_The clone hummed out an amused sound, shaking his head. "I bet he never progressed to the point where he had this face, though."_

_"No, he didn't. But Sephiroth controlled him, and made him do some very bad things." Tifa smiled gently, picking up her teacup once more. "We beat him before, and even if you turn into him, we'll beat him again. Until that's necessary, u_ _ntil you start doing bad things... Well, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Even if it's hard._ _"_

_Raul picked up his teacup, considering her words even as he contemplated his reflection in the remains of his tea. He even opened his mouth to respond, save that a ninja decided to burst through the air duct at that very moment, sending dust everywhere and following it up with a smoke bomb._

_"HIIIEEEYAH! Release Tifa, you Fiend!"_


	4. Chapter 4

"If you're not Sephiroth, why do you keep the Angeal and Genesis 1/35 soldiers?"

Raul glanced to the figure that had drawn level with him as they walked. He had expected Cloud to ask, but not this soon. It was okay, though. He was prepared.

"I remember... Loveless quotes, and the sound of a book snapping shut. I remember conversations about the meaning of honour, Cloud. It helps, knowing what these people looked like, when these memories come with pangs of bittersweet loneliness. They are all I have, of two of the pillars that supported Sephiroth, of proof that they existed and that these memories are not my own."

( _He missed them. He wished they had never defected, even if he now understood why. Even if he had too, technically._ )

The blond fighter nodded, and they walked on in silence.

* * *

They returned to the Shera to camp for the night and go over the notes they had recovered from the mansion. They all agreed that they were, at best, truths spun in such a manner as to lead people to specific conclusions and agreed to go to the reactor in the morning. Raul ate his evening meal in the quiet of his quarters until a knock sounded at the door. Setting his food aside, he stood up and wondered who it might be. It had to be Tifa-

"Raul. Come with me." Cloud turned away from the clone's door as it was opened, leaving the occupant of the room to stare after him before stepping out and closing the door, jogging to catch up. The pair made their way out of the airship, where the blond swordsman drew the fusion sword and detached one of the blades. The smaller blade was offered out, hilt-first.

"Cloud, I don't... Think I'm ready for this."

"I know how he fights." The sword was offered out once more. "You move the way he does, but I want to know if you fight the same, too."

"But I..." Mako infused eyes warily studied the blade.

"It's okay."

Raul took a deep breath, only to let it out slowly and gingerly accept the blade-

( _It was deceptively light. He could see Cloud press down on the sword embedded into the wall, one piece separating out before he grabbed it and stabbed it into the wall beside the first. Hopping to the side, he dropped down between them and took one in each hand, only to kick off from the wall. Rubble cascaded down, and he carved his way through each chunk before their blades met._ )

-and stared at it, before setting it down on the ground and staring at it as if it had offended him.

"Raul?"

"I... Saw you fighting him, in a broken city, where tendrils of grey rained down from the sky." The clone backed up a step as Cloud leaned down to pick the sword back up, hefting it a few times.

"From his perspective." It was a statement, not a question coming from Cloud and was met with a short nod. "What was he thinking, in that moment?"

"I... Don't know." A lie. He had been thinking about how fun their game of cat and mouse had been, batting the blond across the field and flying in pursuit. Best to give a partial truth. "He felt amused, however."

"If you had to guess?" Cloud watched him for a long moment, and the clone's brows furrowed.

"I would guess he was thinking about how to kill you. You were fighting each other."

The blond swordsman nodded, before holding the sword out once more. "Good guess, but not quite. Tell me if you see anything else."

* * *

"He goes very still when Sephiroth's memories surface." Cloud was sitting in Vincent's quarters aboard the Shera as the gunman dutifully drew the cerberus and began to disassemble it. "You can see it, the moment he remembers and the moment he rejects it. He saw three more memories while we fought. Every time he saw one, his fighting got worse before slowly getting better again as he relaxed."

The gunman nodded silently, using a cotton ball held between two tweezers to carefully scrub some dirt out of the wolf head decal on one of the barrels. The weapon was by and large already clean, beyond some of the smaller, finer details he had neglected. The blond swordsman took his silence in stride, continuing. "He seems like he could be as skilled as the original, if he let his instincts guide him. Physically, Raul is only a little weaker than I am, though he heals faster."

"The mako enhancements."

Cloud nodded, standing up to stare out the porthole that acted as a window. "... I believe him, when he says he doesn't want to be Sephiroth."

"But you also believe that he is mostly Sephiroth."

"He was trying to hold back, but I pressed him. He started smiling after the second memory, and faltered once he caught himself at it." The blond fighter turned to look back at Vincent as he continued to work on the wolf decal on the end of the barrel, the ex-turk speaking up once more as he did.

"What are you going to do?"

* * *

Raul very pointedly did not carry a weapon when they made the trek up the mountain and through the caves. Any fighting that took place took place without him, as he backpedaled and hid behind a tree or a short distance back along the path they had traveled. Making their way to the reactor was an easy enough affair, even with only three out of four Avalanch members fighting at any given time. Yuffie continued to flank the clone, regardless of whether they were in combat or not.

They made good time, even, and settled down outside the reactor to eat a little bit of lunch. Or, more accurately, Tifa offered people food that was only half-heartedly nibbled on before the group was up and making their way into the building.

"Those pods... They had blue and red humanoid figures inside of them."

Tifa glanced over at where Raul stood, contemplating the ranks of destroyed pods. "They did. Hojo was performing experiments on them, trying to see if how long they might survive after being injected with Jenova cells."

"He was... Horrible. I have always hated him." The clone stepped closer to one of them, reaching out to touch the porthole on one of the broken doors. "This... Was what he used to look down on them. They were aware, alive and sentient when he put them inside these devices, and by that point they were nothing but specimens to him. Less than people."

"Hey... Are you okay?" The fighter stepped forward, reaching out to touch the clones shoulder gently and drawing his attention. She flinched at the feline slits his pupils had become, and as she stepped back he frowned and straightened, pupils widening slowly.

"Tifa?"

"You... It's okay. Your eyes... Were just like his for a moment. No, it's okay." She managed a smile as his face fell, waving her hands. "Are you... Any voices, or...?"

"If his eyes changed, we should leave." Cloud looked between them before keeping his focus on Raul, the clone shaking his head.

"No, no voices. Just remembered hatred, loathing and bitterness. This is where he questioned whether he was any different from them, and it... It was a very keenly felt memory. Ahead is the final room. I'm fine." He waved a hand slightly, before gesturing for the blond fighter to take the lead. "I do not doubt that the moment I am overwhelmed, Mister Vincent will put a bullet through the back of my head."

"I think that's the first time I've ever heard anyone call him Mister." Tifa's smile turned somewhat more genuine as the gunman dipped his head to hide his expression behind the collar of his cloak. "If you're sure you're okay... Cloud?"

"We won't stay for very long. Just a quick look, Raul."

The clone inclined his head, before falling into step behind the blond swordsman. The door took a moment to lever open before they looked over the threshold into the chamber where Jenova had once been held. Off to either side lay a great empty space that plummeted down to the green glow of mako below, while the walkway that led across to the broken glass tube was missing part of the way out. It was quiet, beyond the occasional spark.

Raul didn't react beyond a slight wince and absent-minded rubbing of his sternum. Cloud caught his eye and quirked a brow, eliciting a slight shake of the clones head.

"I remember that there was a fight here, and nothing more. I feel like I am missing information, regarding why Sephiroth went mad."

"Jenova cells call to each other. It's what their hosts call the 'Reunion'. That might be what's missing, considering she was here."

"Perhaps. Thank you, for bringing me here. The room with the pods was worse than this one." He attempted a smile, before turning and starting to head for the exit.

* * *

It was a quiet trip back down the mountain, and they made it back to the airship before the sun set behind the snow capped peaks. Raul excused himself to the observation deck as they took off, finding much to his surprise that the ex-turk was already there.

"Excuse me, I did not realize anyone else would be here. I will-"

"Stephen Raul. Why did you choose that name?" Red eyes continued to survey the scenery as Vincent stood immobile at the railing. His words halted the other's attempts at a retreat, and a gesture for the clone to join him at the railing had Raul easing closer.

"... It was... Accidental. I had started to say Sephiroth before recalling that I'm not. Sephin became Stephen, and roth became Raul." The clone leaned against the railing, both hands gripping it as he peered over and down at the ground far below. "I am led to believe that you knew his mother. His actual mother, the scientist."

The ex-turk inclined his head, otherwise silent. If he hadn't remained so, he might have missed the soft question that escaped Raul.

"... What was she _like_...?"

* * *

_"What are you going to do, Cloud?"_

_"I'm going to push him. I'm going to spar and practice and fight him until he either breaks or proves without a doubt that it's not Sephiroth in that head of his. I know that, if I do, he won't have a choice."_

_"... And if he wasn't, until you push him to need to become him to survive?" Vincent's red eyes flit over to where the blond swordsman had folded his arms and raised his chin._

_"I know how -he- fights, better than anyone alive. Some things you can only ask or get an honest answer from with a weapon raised."_

* * *

Vincent was, by nature, meticulous and careful. Intelligent, he cataloged every minor movement just as he monitored every major shift, everything from the way someone would quickly avert their gaze and the way their nostrils flared to clenched fists and how they held themselves in polite company. Recklessness and a lack of observational skills tended to weed out the new turk recruits particularly quickly, after all.

He was also particularly good at keeping his own gestures, actions and movements subtle and controlled. He didn't waste movements and had one of the best poker faces, to the point where the others refused to play cards with him. To ask him if he had kept an eye on the clone would garner no more than perhaps a quirked eyebrow and silence.

Of -course- he had kept an eye on Raul, swapping with Yuffie when she needed to sleep, eat or take care of some small, personal things. The girl was a ninja, but he was turk-trained, and had been one of the best. Even with the metal adornments that gave his kicks and claw attacks more strength there was a very short list of people that he couldn't monitor without being caught and the clone was most certainly not on that list. It was one of these moments that had led to his waiting on the open observation deck, knowing that the clone would head straight there.

He had thought he had prepared, theorizing that if Raul was keeping mementos of Sephiroth's former friends that he would ask after Lucrecia and while he wasn't surprised the question still caused him to tense up and avert his gaze towards the horizon.

"... She was... Kind."

"Did she care, about _him_?"

The gunman glanced over, stifling a frown at how the clone's fingers were crimping the metal of the railing and how tense his posture was before deciding on the subjective truth. "... He was taken from her, at birth. She never had the chance to hold him in her arms, and her guilt drove her to kill herself."

Glowing mako-green eyes blinked out at the passing terrain, before Raul slowly relaxed. "I... I see. She... She loved him then, didn't she. She must have."

"She didn't willingly abandon him, if that is what you are looking for."

"It was." The clone admitted, nodding his head slowly. "I wondered what manner of mother would let their child believe that a space parasite was the actual mother. She didn't... Want that, it seems, though I question as to why she didn't fight to reclaim her son. If she felt guilty..."

"Hojo."

Raul ahh'd softly, nodding once more. "... You know, I realized something in that forest."

That earned him another glance from the gunman, who tilted his head slightly as he waited for the clone to continue. Glowing mako green eyes met red as Raul smiled softly.

"Humanity is not a race. It is a state of being, a choice. A mindset. It must be, otherwise the line between humanity and monster is too blurred to make out. Hojo, a human by technicality, was a monster while Aerith, being a Cetra, was technically not a full human. I refuse to accept that Hojo had more humanity than a woman who gave her life defending the planet."


	5. Chapter 5

"Yo, Babyface!"

Raul closed his eyes, focusing for a moment to carefully dismiss the images of an eviscerated turk splattered across the hall he was walking down. Instead, he turned and nodded politely. "... Reno. I ask again that you stop calling me that."

"Hah! As if! Since you're totally _NOT_ Sephiroth, it's not like you'll go crazy and kill me over a nickname. Besides, I got news for ya." Reno fanned himself with the folder he was holding in one hand, grinning, the other propped onto his hip. "You're cleared for monster hunting duty, so long as you stick to the buddy system. And guess who's gunna be your buddies!"

"Miss Yuffie and Miss Tifa." One was unavoidable, the other a preference. Out of all of them, the long haired fighter had stopped looking at him as if he was a monster the fastest.

( _He -was- a monster, though. That much was an undeniable truth. No, not a monster, a **God** , and he-_)

( _Shut up arrogance, he thought to himself._ )

"You'd hope so! Man, goin' out on missions with a smokin' hot babe and Princess Spunky, to be half so lucky as to get some alone time with either of them..."

"Miss Kisaragi is determined to shadow me to ensure I remain true to my word." The words sounded stiffly forced out even in the clone's own ears, and he took a slow breath to try and keep himself level. "In regards to Miss Lockhart, she knows as much as Cloud does about Sephiroth, and is not constantly called away on missions."

"Heh, all true but you got it all wrong. Yuffie's asked Yours Truly to sub in for her, and I don't go anywhere without my partner." Reno smirked, before blinking and holding out his hand as Raul simply turned and stalked away from him down the hallway. "Hey hey -hey-! Where ya goin'?"

"To speak with Reeve."

"Aww, c'mon!"

* * *

Reeve jumped slightly as the door to his office opened, guiltily stuffing his sandwich in a desk drawer and snapping it shut. "Raul? Reno? What are you doing here?"

"I refuse to work solely with two unenhanced turks. In the event that I encounter Jenova Cells and, in the worst case scenario become Sephiroth they would do no more than die. I demand that you assign Miss Tifa Lockhart and one other capable fighter to this-"

"Aww, Babyface I didn't know you _cared_ -"

"-endeavor. I must also add that I am becoming dangerously close to losing my temper with the turk standing next to me and _do not want_ to accidentally lash out and hurt him." The clone clasped his hands behind his back as he settled into a military 'at ease' position, feet shoulder width apart and impassively ignoring the stare and subtle shift the turk made to get marginally away from him. "He has consistently refused, despite multiple attempts to politely ask him to cease, to call me anything other than 'Babyface' simply because I do not need to shave. It is normal, for someone to become angry when they are repeatedly insulted, and so I bring this matter to you. I worry that I may reflexively take a swing and accidentally harm the unenhanced."

Tuesti blinked back and forth between them for a moment, before folding his hands on his desk. "Alright, although I think you underestimate their teamwork. Do you have a preference for this capable fighter?"

"Of those I have personally seen in combat, I would recommend the ex-turk Vincent Valentine, Cloud Strife, or someone of an appropriate level of skill and survivability."

"Hey, I really think you're selling us short!" Reno folded his arms, visibly sulking. "We went hand to hand with Yazoo and Loz and made it. We could take you, no problems."

"Do you care to prove it?" Raul looked over, before mentally cursing. In the long list of things labled 'bad ideas', this was undoubtedly one of the top ten. Neither of them were physically able to match his strength, and he was faster than both of them as well.

( _Though, the prospect of playing with them for a little bit - even if he wasn't going to allow himself to kill them - would help him blow off some steam. He always felt better after a fight, and this red-headed turk had gotten in his way too many times._ )

"Rude's already in the training hall, Babyface. If we win, everyone gets to call you that for a week." Reno flashed white teeth in a grin that faltered when the clone matched it with a smug smirk.

"If I win - and I _will_ win - you must speak to and of Miss Yuffie and Miss Tifa respectfully for at minimum a week."

* * *

"A few ground rules." Reeve looked at the assembled staff, spotting Cloud's signature spikey blond hair among the crowd that had gathered in the gym. Reno and Rude were off to one side, stretching and warming up while the clone studied the weapon rack against the wall. "One, no fatal strikes. Two, no deliberate maiming - which means no going for the eyes, since you'll be using practice weapons and your fists - and three, when someone yields the fight is over. Everyone understand?"

"Yeah yeah, we got it. C'mon Babyface!" The red-headed turk snickered at how Raul twitched and turned away from the wall without picking a weapon. "What, no wooden sword?"

"I won't need one for this."

"Don't complain when I don't go easy on you." Reno twirled the wooden rod in his hand and settled his ready stance, idly tapping it against his shoulder while his partner tugged his gloves more snugly onto his hands.

"All parties ready?" Tuesti glanced between the three combatants, stepping back to the edge of the ring the crowd had formed and raising his hand. "And... Go!"

Raul took a deep breath, letting it out as the larger of the two turks charged across the space and started things with a right straight. He sidestepped, then sidestepped again as Reno came down with the wooden rod, having jumped to give the strike more strength behind it. It clattered against the ground as the clone turned to keep them both in front of him, stepping smoothly backwards to avoid a left cross and then a feinted right jab that had him stepping into the red-headed turk's strike range.

The wooden rod connected with his forearm as he raised it, and he furrowed his brows before noting the smirk on the other's face.

"Well what d'ya know, big bad clone's not so fast or strong now, are ya-"

Raul snapped his hand out, catching Reno by the forearm and spinning to put him in Rude's path as he tucked his 'injured' arm behind his back. The bald turk snagged his partner by the collar and hauled, pulling the red-head towards him even as he leaned and lashed out with his free hand, narrowly missing the clone as he leaned back out of the way and was forced to let go of Reno. Two quick steps gave Raul some space from the pair, and he dipped into a partial bow.

"I will consider my arm largely useless until the end of the match, as your preferred weapon generally utilizes stunning electricity. One point to you, despite how I would have likely healed by now."

"You fucker, are you mocking us!?" Reno fixed his jacket somewhat, transferring the rod to his other hand as he scowled.

"No. I am ignoring how I could have broken your arm."

"You-!" The red-headed turk led the charge this time, swinging rapidly with the rod and catching only air as the clone backpedaled and turned. He kept track of Rude largely by using his peripherals. "-Arrogant-" He could see that Reno was trying to turn him as his partner moved to flank, even as he ducked under another swing. Another three steps, and he would be herded and turned to have his back towards the bald turk. "-Prick!"

"You are only angry because you know I could have." He couldn't help the smugness he felt as he reversed his momentum, stepping forward and dropping into a crouch as he reached forward to snag Reno by the belt and hauled the surprised turk towards him and over his shoulder. Lifting with his legs as he did, he felt the rod whiff past his calves as he bodily threw the red-headed turk into his partner.

( _He was mildly surprised by how -little- Reno weighed. He hadn't had to lift with his legs, he could have simply spun and casually tossed his opponent with all the ease of a child throwing a shirt away. It gave him ideas, but the likelyhood of breaking both of the red-headed turks legs as he bodily beat Rude with his partner was simply too high for him to get away with it. After all, he was supposed to be playing **nice**._)

Quickstepping forward and turning, he quirked a brow at the recovery time of the pair as Reno rolled off of Rude and scrabbled to his feet, charging across the gap and yelling with the wooden rod upraised. The bald turk was already pushing himself up and rushing to go wide, trying to flank him again while he ducked and wove to avoid the rapid blows that the red-head aimed at him. It was fun, trying to determine just how little or how much force he had to use to stay within the limits of the game they were playing-

No. That was something _Sephiroth_ would think. Fighting wasn't a game, and he -hesitated- as he remembered that. It was the moment of stillness that Rude needed to wrap an arm around his neck from behind and put the clone in a choke-hold. Reno adjusted his grip on the wooden rod, lunging to jam it into his stomach-

Raul curled, his hand latching onto Rude's arms to anchor himself as he brought both feet up to use his greater reach and plant both of his against Reno's shoulders and kick him back into the ring of people. They would cushion him, he trusted, and as his feet touched the ground he pitched backwards, putting his weight into it as he threw himself down with the bald turk grunting as he impacted the ground first. The arm around his throat loosened slightly, and he took advantage of that to slip his fingers between Rude's forearm and his throat and pressing outwards.

The bald turk grunted as he tried to get a leg up and hook his heel into the crook of the clone's elbow so that he could try and pin the arm too, and Raul obligingly let him. His original purpose here had been to prove a point, after all. He couldn't think of a better way to do so than to roll and get his feet under him, bodily hauling Rude up as he did to look at Reno as the red-headed turk charged back in.

"Your partner is not strong enough to choke me out, Reno. I gave you both a chance and find you both... Well trained, if ill equipped." Twisting, he used Rude to catch the first blow from the wooden rod, continuing to turn and step so that the red-headed turk only had his partner as a proper target.

"Holy Fuck, how strong are you!?"

"I could probably carry you as well, with no problem. Care to settle this with whether I can or not? We are, otherwise, at an impasse." Raul smiled slightly, leaning to peer Reno. "You and your partner are getting tired, whereas I am not."

"... Fuck it, sure." The red-head tapped the rod against his shoulder and shook his head, bewildered. "This is crazy."

"I told you, both of you together would only die. I don't want that." It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be to shrug with Rude grunting and straining to try and immobilize his arm and while Raul used largely only his fingers to prevent the choke hold from actually cutting off his air supply. The clone offered out his 'dead' hand to Reno. "Come then."

The turk hesitated, before accepting it and blinking as Raul casually tossed him up to drape him over his partner, shifting once he was up there to sit on Rude's hip and peer down. "How many people d'you think you could carry?"

"The problem would be method I would use to carry them, not necessarily the weight. I'm going to crouch so that both of you can let go now. I believe we have settled this."

"Nah, I could totally bean you in the head and win right now, BabyfaaAHH!"

Raul pressed out with his hand and straightened his arm, breaking Rude's choke hold and tipping back so that he dumped both of the turks into a pile behind him. "My goal in this is not to break any of your or your partner's limbs, Reno. I don't want to hurt anyone." Turning, he offered a hand out to each turk, smiling sheepishly. "I think, however, I may have accidentally sprained one of your partner's fingers in breaking his hold. Do you yield?"

Both turks exchanged a glance before the red-head deflated and laughed.

* * *

The knock at his door was surprising. Raul had only left the gym half an hour ago and was just stepping out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he splatted his way across the living room to unlock the door and crack it open, blinking at the grinning red-headed turk that was in the hallway with a case of beer in one hand and pushing at the door to try and open it the rest of the way with the other.

"Man, that was a hell of a fight!" The clone backpedaled, startled and it was enough that Reno was able to shoulder the door open enough to step in, Rude and a blond woman in the same style of tux on his heels and each of them bearing supplies of some kind. "Shit, these are the rooms you go? There's nothin' here! No wonder you're always so sulky! Good thing we brought pizza!"

"Reno-"

"Catch you at a bad time? Go put on some pants! I mean I don't mind, but Elena's a lady and all, so- Woah, lookit how red his ears are getting, he -does- have colours other than pale!"

"-Why are you in my rooms." Raul grit the words out, one hand fisting in the towel to make damn certain it didn't slip and fall.

"Isn't it obvious? We're havin' a party!"

"If this is some twisted form of revenge for defeating you today..." The clone's tone trailed off warningly as he turned and stalked towards the bedroom, closing the door and finding some clothes so that he could throw them on hurriedly.

"Nah, bud! We had bets goin' on how long it'd take you to snap! You lasted a whole month, beat everyone's expectations." Reno's voice was somewhat muffled through the door, and as Raul opened it he met the beaming grin of the red-headed turk with a scowl. "We all expected you to at -least- try and break my nose, but you didn't! So we pooled all the bets and got you pizza and a cake! I brought beer, 'course, because we gotta drink something while we eat."

"You... Were testing me." The words came slowly as the clone's scowl faded into a thoughtful frown.

"Not only did you not throw him through a wall, you also went to Reeve about it first." The woman - Elena, he supposed - offered him a sheepish smile as she set out paper plates and opened one of the boxes of pizza. "None of us thought you were going to last a week. Tseng should be here soon, he was just finishing up some paperwork."

"Yeah. Even before he cracked, Sephiroth would've gone all silent and used that glare of his to threaten bodily harm before bodily throwing me from his office. Broke my nose that way once, when I bounced off the floor." Reno snickered, draping himself across the armchair as he cracked open a beer and took a swig. "Ahh, good old Half Silver Curse. Hey, you ever had beer before?"

He had, at Costa del Sol while he was hiding. It hadn't mattered how much of it he had consumed, his metabolism seemed to burn the effects off. Nodding, he caught the beer that was lobbed at him and spent a long moment staring at the three turks in his living room, wondering what their presence meant.

* * *

"He didn't drink much of it." Reno sat in Reeve's office, nursing a hangover as he slouched in the chair. "The beer, that is. Didn't seem angry, either. More confused, sorta skittish. He only ate the pizza after most of us had a slice, though we agreed it more looked like he was trying to cope with the situation than was worried about being poisoned."

"Here." The black-haired director slid his coffee across the desk, smiling as the turk took it with a thankful nod and sipped at it. "What is the professional opinion of the turks regarding his mental and emotional stability, now that the preliminary mission is complete?"

"Sephiroth was a shut in, basically lived in his office when he wasn't out doing drills, missions or practicing in the training rooms. Raul is... Sort of the same, but we've agreed that it's more because he knows how people look at him and wants to avoid causing a scene than any real dedication to work. In spite of that, he's proven to be surprisingly emotionally stable, yeah? No random outbursts, and Elena got him to talk a little bit at the party. Mental stability, it's sort of hard to determine without more research. I think we can start with phase two if you want." Reno fished a bottle of painkillers out of his pocket, popping it open and tucking two into hand before transferring them to his mouth and chasing them with more coffee.

"I think that will go well. I've also drawn up a few missions that deal mostly with moving rubble, based on your recommendations. He didn't display that level of strength while he underwent testing, so we're forced to second guess honest results versus how often he might have held back." Reeve leaned back in his chair, sighing. "I spoke with Cloud, and he says it might also be tied to adrenaline, or how strong the clone thinks he might need to be considering his last fight against Sephiroth in Midgar."

"Man, this is crazy. He could have thrown me half-way across the gym with one hand and instead threw me into Rude to knock him over. Felt like he was trying to be gentle about it, too. Cloud was right, he hesitates when he catches himself thinking or acting like Sephiroth."

"These are crazy times, Reno. I'm glad to have the cooperation of the turks in regards to this matter."


	6. Chapter 6

He shouldn't have been surprised when his phone went off at two in the morning to the tune of 'Hot Stuff' by the Tamale's. He only knew what the song was called because Reno had started drunkenly singing it at the 'party' last week, and while the clone was fairly certain he hadn't left his phone unattended all four of the people that had been in attendance for the 'party' were turks, after all. Fumbling his phone open, he grunted into the receiver even as he buried his face in the pillow.

 _"Raul, yo you gotta come out here and help us! We're down the road from the base 'bout six miles, we were on our way back and got attacked by monsters! Elena's trapped under the truck after it was rolled onto her!"_ Reno's voice was strained, while in the background Tseng could be heard telling someone in the background to brace as metal scraped against metal. _"Take Tseng's car, it just needs a code to start!"_

Raul was understandably suspicious. Out of everyone on base, calling _him_ seemed to be on the low end of likely resolutions. Still, he rasped out a muttered agreement even as he fumbled out of bed and hustled out of his room, foregoing a set of real clothes to throw on over his pajama pants in favour of the flip flops he had kept from his time at the beach.

 _"Hold on Elena, he's comin'! Tseng, what's your car code!?"_ Shots rang out in the background of the call, while something snarled and drowned out whatever Tseng had said back. The clone tool the stairs down three at a time, rounding the corners as he moved and picking up speed as he went. The door to the garage was locked, but were kicked open all the same as Raul hustled.

"Reno, what car am I looking for?"

 _"Black sleek lookin' c-"_ Reno grunted over the line, with the sound of an impact, and the clone held the phone way from his ear as something roared right next to the receiver. Something scrabbled in the background before cursing as metal squealed in protest. A quick scan of the garage located the car, and he hopped over the door to settle in the drivers seat and looked around.

"Reno?"

 _"Sorry, Reno is busy."_ Tseng, from the calm voice, and shots rang out before the turk continued. _"Right of the wheel, there is a three by three pad. The code is five, four, nine, six, three. Hurry, we braced the truck as best we could after Rude lifted it somewhat, but Elena is still trapped."_

The clone tapped the code in, blinking as the vehicle started before belatedly wondering if he even knew how to drive.

* * *

It turned out he did, though how well was debatable. It was a standard, and he relied more on the sound the vehicle was making to tell him when to shift than any practiced knowledge and he was privately glad that he didn't have to drive very far. After sweeping around the bend outside of the base, he hit both the clutch (gaining speed didn't work if he didn't, so he presumed it would help the opposite way as well) and the brakes as he downshifted and cranked on the wheel, the car skidding to a halt by the overturned truck. Rude had his back to it and both hands under the edge of the roof, sweating with the effort of keeping the vehicle from crushing his friend as Reno and Tseng took turns keeping watch for more of the wolf-like monsters that had ambushed them and trying to lever things under the vehicle to help the bald turk keep it from going over the rest of the way.

Surging over the door and padding over, Raul noted the bloodied hand that poked out from between Rude's feet and picked up the pace.

"Reno, when I lift, go under and get her."

The red-headed turk saluted and hustled over as the clone leaned down to get his shoulder under the edge of the truck and look underneath as he spread one arm along the door and carefully hauled upwards. Rude staggered slightly as the weight was lifted from him and sat down heavily as his partner scuttled under and started to drag the blond turk out. She was semi-conscious, groaning and bloodied as she was hefted up and set into the passengers seat of the car.

"Alright, let's get back to base and get her to a Doc before more of those things show up."

"Do none of you have a Cure materia?" Raul carefully let the truck rest back on the ground, glancing at the others as Tseng helped the bald turk into the backseat before settling into the drivers seat and waving at the clone to join them.

"Nah, we were just out gettin' drinks. Didn't expect to get attacked, now come on, get in."

Raul clambered into the backseat between Reno and Rude, just as baffled as he had been before.

* * *

"Man, you shoulda seen it!" The red-headed turk had draped himself across one of the chairs in Reeve's office, grinning. "They were -huge-! One knocked Elena into the side of the truck, before another went around the other side and pitched it over onto her. These things were smarter than average, strong too. If Raul hadn't've come when he did, we mighta lost her!"

"While I admire the speed with which he responded to your call, he broke both the garage door and the door to the garage from the compound." Tuesti gave the clone an apologetic look, one which was returned with an almost sheepish averting of eyes. "I have to ask though, why did you call him?"

"Why... -Did- you call me?" Raul turned slightly, standing behind the second guest chair in the office and frowning as he studied Reno. "There are others-"

"Dude, how many people do you know that can lift a truck on their own like that? Cloud's doing deliveries out at Rocket town, and Barrets with Tifa in Edge." The red-headed turk grinned. "You were our best shot, yeah? And you paid off. Speaking of, look, if you're going to dock his pay the cost of the doors, dock it from the Turks instead. He saved our Elena, and we always pay our debts."

"You didn't break the door-"

"Raul, didn't you learn anything at the party? We're buds, and none've us are gunna leave you hangin' with the bill." Reno's grin grew as the clone blinked, baffled and then dropped his gaze.

( _Friends. Angeal and Genesis had been his 'friends', and they had deserted. Defected and left him alone with Shinra and Hojo, with the eyes of the press watching and weighing whether he would turn traitor as well. Even the Puppy had disappeared. What good were 'friends' if they weren't there for him when he needed them? Useless. He was stronger then that, he didn't need to depend on anyone-_ )

A hand landed on his shoulder, startling the clone out of his thoughts as he snapped his gaze to Reno's as the turk spoke. "Friends help each other, y'know?"

"I agree." Reeve pushed himself to his feet and clasped his hands behind his back, stifling his smile. "However, if you still feel responsible for it you can always help install the new ones when they arrive. They should be here in a few days at the latest."

"Yeah! Rude's totally afraid of ladders, so you can go up and we'll pass you what you need."

* * *

The clone had left only minutes ago, and Reno relaxed and lazily looked over to where Tuesti had turned to look at the painting that covered the wall behind his desk.

"I think he suspects it was something of a set up."

"How much of what happened was a scenario?" Reeve turned to quirk an eyebrow towards the turk. "Were there really giant wolves?"

"Yeah, six of'em. They knocked the truck over first, though. We levered it up so that Elena could squeeze under it after the fact."

"You've started phase two already, then. What will you do, if he learns it's fabricated?"

Reno raised a finger, shaking it at the dark haired man behind the desk. "Hey now, only the first couple will be. Once people start seeing him properly as Raul and less as some guy with a good chance of going nuts, people will start actually asking him for help. He'll start makin' connections like crazy, socializing and making good, proper friends. He'll stay stable, he'll be happy and he'll have that much better of a chance to stay sane. It was your idea to keep him from being isolated, after all."

"Nobody should be alone. I've spoken with a number of people about it, and we all agreed that if Sephiroth hadn't been so alone, ostracized and put on a pedestal he might have weathered Hojo's manipulations better." Reeve sighed, raking a hand back through his hair. "I want Raul to have the chance that Sephiroth didn't get. If that means a dash of trickery, then so be it."

* * *

He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, honest. It was hardly his fault that enhanced senses came part and parcel with the mako enhancements his body had endured. It had occurred to him that he should ask about how to take responsibility for damaging the gearbox in Tseng's car, leading him to return to the office and lift his hand to knock.

_"I think he suspects it was something of a set up."_

_"How much of what happened was a scenario? Were there really giant wolves?"_

_"Yeah, six of'em. They knocked the truck over first, though. We levered it up so that Elena could squeeze under it after the fact."_

Raul stood there, and slowly lowered his fist.

( _A lie. Just like his heritage. Just like his parentage. Just like everything else._ )

_"You've started phase two already, then. What will you do, if he learns it's fabricated?"_

What had been phase one, he wondered. The test of his emotional control? It had been engineered by Reno, who sat in that very office after all. Maybe he had been too kind. Maybe he should have broken the little runt bastard's arm.

( _If Reno was lying to him,_ _then that meant that Reeve was as well. He had been right to moderate his results in the fitness tests. If Reeve was lying to him then who was to say that the others weren't as well? Subordinates followed the lead of those above them in power, after all. Maybe Yuffie had been in on the deliberate attempts to goad him, and now that her job was done had been cycled out of the roster for Reno when it came to keeping a watchful eye over him. Maybe he should give them a reason to monitor him._ _If everyone who worked for Reeve was in on it, then Cloud most certainly was. But what about Tifa?_ )

( _What -about- Tifa, he asked himself. Why should she be any different from the others. Traitors, the lot of them._ )

"Raul? Is everything alright?" The brunette's voice startled him as if thinking about her had summoned her out of thin air and he turned to blink at her. She frowned faintly, and tilted her head. "Hey, you're doing it again, where your face is impossibly blank. What's wrong?"

_"Hey now, only the first couple will be. Once people start seeing him properly as Raul and less as some guy with a good chance of going nuts, people will start actually asking him for help. He'll start makin' connections like crazy, socializing and making good, proper friends. He'll stay stable, he'll be happy and he'll have that much better of a chance to stay sane..."_

( _It was a good plan, he had to admit. Of course, if they had asked him before and gone about it with a grain of TRUTH perhaps he wouldn't have found himself contemplating just how much of the office he could paint red with the blood in Reno's body. The Reeve that was in there, after all, had the same hum of electrical components that a printer did._ )

"Nothing, Miss Tifa. I was debating whether or not to interrupt Reeve in his office. I may have damaged a component of Tseng's car."

"Raul, I've spent a lot of time with expressive people like Cloud and Vincent. I know that's not the whole truth." She folded her arms, frowning. "It's okay, if you want to talk I'm here. And even if you don't right now, we can talk later."

( _Did he dare trust her? What if she -was- in on it with the others. But... She had left the day after the trip to Nibelheim to take care of some things at the bar in Edge. Maybe... Maybe she wasn't._ )

Raul hesitated, made a choice and gestured for her to be quiet as he nodded towards the door and stood aside. Tifa's brows furrowed in confusion before she stepped softly closer and pressed her ear against the door, waving the secretary that was approaching them away and silent.

_"...We all agreed that if Sephiroth hadn't been so alone, ostracized and put on a pedestal he might have weathered Hojo's manipulations better. I want Raul to have the chance that Sephiroth didn't get. If that means a dash of trickery, then so be it."_

Tifa straightened at the word 'trickery', scowling before pushing the door open. and striding inside.

"Reeve Tuesti!"

The construct behind the desk jumped slightly, leaning back in his chair as the fighter strode forward and slapped both hands down on the desk.

"You've got some explaining to do."

* * *

"I can't believe those two!"

The clone followed closely as Tifa stormed down the halls. It was amusing to watch people flatten against the walls as she swept past.

"We agreed that how Sephiroth had been separated from society blinded him to how many good people there are, that it made him hate everyone because he was alone, but we never agreed to lying to you about anything. It's why we went to Nibelheim, to show we're willing to trust you and show you that it's okay to trust us."

The fighter rounded a corner, and the squad of WRO soldiers that had been coming the other way immediately swept to one side to allow her to proceed without them getting trampled.

"They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Raul supplied as he kept pace, fighting to keep from stifling the smile that he could feel growing across his face.

"They still lied to you." Tifa glanced back at him, baffled and shaking her head. "Forget paying for the damages, Reeve and the Turks can pay for them and install them on their own."

"From the looks on their faces, they intend to." Nodding, the clone clasped his hands behind his back and glanced around. "Where are we going?"

"One of the gyms on the second floor. They have punching bags there."

"I'm far sturdier than a punching bag." Raul paused slightly mid-step, glancing away as the fighter chuckled slightly.

"That you are, though I think you're a bit strong for me to fight against. There's pads though if you're offering to hold them."

"... I am. I feel as though I owe you, for how you swept into Mister Reeve's office." He inclined his head in silent thanks as she held the door to the stairwell open for him, and together they climbed.

"I didn't exactly do it for you, Raul. I did it because it's wrong to set anyone up like that. It's blatant manipulation, no matter who's on the receiving end. I worry sometimes, that they get caught up in their scheming that they forget that there's other ways to do things." It was Tifa's turn to nod in thanks as he held the door leading out of the stairwell open for her, and together they set off down the hall.

"What you're saying is... You would do that for anyone."

"Yes. Because it's the right thing to do." She pushed the door to the smaller, less used gym open and headed over tot he storage room for some pads.

"You... Remind me of Angeal. He always spoke about honour, about doing the right thing." The clone caught the pads, slipping his hands into them and holding them up. Tifa nodded and settled into an easy rhythm of punches and kicks.

"Did you ever get to meet him?"

"... Not... That I know of, no. But this does not change the fact that these conversations occurred. I learned from the last time that I doubted the authenticity of these... Borrowed memories that such thinking leads nowhere but into a spiral of despair." High kick, left straight, round house kick and two faster strikes all found their homes against the pads he carried, and his frown led the fighter to pause for a moment before she continued.

"What happened the last time? If I can ask, I don't want to pry."

"I spent two weeks drinking all of the alcohol in a Costa del Sol bar."

"Did it work?"

Raul smirked, eyes partially closing as he recalled the memory and fended off a one-two punch combo with the pads. "No. Not particularly well, at least. I managed to get partially drunk but it did not last long. The hangover, however, was... Less than pleasant."

"I bet. Even if you metabolize it quickly, alcohol still dehydrates you. Brace?" The fighter quirked a brow, backing up a short distance before charging in as he nodded and unleashing a flurry of blows. She kicked into a somersault off of the pads, and then dropped down to sweep a kick across. Each move was met with both pads before she straightened and raised her fists once more.

"I hope you aren't going easy because of me."

"No, I know you can take it but I'm not here to fight. Just work off some steam at boys being boys." Tifa smiled at him, before starting in on another combo of blows.

* * *

Two days later the garage doors were fixed and Tseng was 'making it up to him' by showing him how to actually drive a standard. They did slow, lazy laps along the bridge and entrance to the compound for about an hour before the clone felt sufficiently comfortable with it to do another two or three laps without the turk in the car. Of course, he only realized that it was partly a distraction by how he returned to his rooms to find a number of boxes outside his door. He supposed he should have felt thankful that nobody broke into his rooms to hang what appeared to be a half dozen pieces of abstract art that were clearly from Reno. Rude had left a bottle of wine, and as he stared at the walls while determining where, exactly, he was going to hang what a knock sounded at his door.

"Who is it."

_"Elena. Look, I... I want to talk._ _"_

The clone sighed, before making his way to the door and opening it. A glance down the hall revealed that it was only Elena, and he nodded before opening the door wider so that he could invite her in. "It's good to see you recovered."

"I... I wanted to apologize. Do you need help hanging these?" She gestured to the paintings before clasping her hands in front of her as Raul shook his head and went back to his contemplation. "Okay, well... So. About... A few days ago. We really were just... Trying to help you see that you're not a monster. Even if it was set up, you still came. And we really -weren't- expecting to be attacked on our way back. Reno was drunk and said it was a good opportunity, so..."

"Are you asking me to treat it as a harmless prank?"

"I mean... If you could, then... Please?"

The clone hummed softly, before turning to focus properly on the blonde turk.

"Very well, but on one condition..."

* * *

Raul agreed to get Tseng in on it, considering the current leader of the turks had made it a point to take time out of his day to teach him how to drive a stick shift. As such, when Reno and Rude attempted to call for backup they received none. No, nobody could be spared to run them a set of clothes. No, nobody knew what happened to their wardrobes either, but there were rumours that _someone_ had strung up a series of pants, shirts and shorts across the ceiling of the mess hall. Nobody knew who, of course, and none of the security cameras had caught anything.

( _They were somewhat more lenient to Rude, considering all he really had done was support his partner. Considering how the turks worked, that was seen as a noble and good thing by Tseng and Elena despite the consequences. It didn't stop them from hiding his clothes, but they did leave the bald turk clues as to where they sat, all neatly packed into duffel bags on the second floor gym. While he would have liked to have made the traitors pay in blood, he had to admit that it was fun watching them carefully stealth their way through the halls so that nobody would see them in just their socks and underwear. It was nice, sometimes, to play with his prey._ )

He didn't know if he had wholly forgiven them, but then Reeve surprised him with a framed photograph of a woman with long brown hair and a lab coat. He had taken it to Vincent as soon as he had found the ex-turk's quarters, and red eyes grew distant and sad as Lucrecia's identity was confirmed. There were instructions written on the back to seek out someone named 'Shelke', who knew more about the woman in question. He resolved to do so eventually as he retreated back to his rooms and sat down on the couch.

It had been a long week already, and it wasn't quite half-way over.


	7. Chapter 7

Raul stared contemplatively at one of the pieces of art that furnished the walls of his rooms. The walls were an off white, matching the ceiling. The floor was laminate and the furniture was stark grey save for one splotch of stubborn off-red from where one of the turks ( _Reno, that bastard._ ) had dropped pizza sauce onto it. There was a ceiling light and a reading lamp set in the 'corner' that was created by how the couch and the armchair sat at right angles to each other with a low metal framed, glass topped table stretched out in front of them.

It was Saturday afternoon, and the compound was silent. Most of the working staff were out in Kalm, enjoying their weekend while a skeleton crew remained behind to keep things up and running. Not that it made much of a difference, since the rooms on either side of his own were empty. He didn't exactly have any neighbours to pester.

The clone idly drummed his fingers against the back of the couch as he stood behind it, turning his head so that he could stare at another piece of art. He thought perhaps he could understand Reno a bit better if he could discern why, exactly, the turk had chosen them but each one was an abstract save for one that inexplicably depicted a family sitting on a couch next to a lamp. Honestly, the frames were more interesting than the pictures themselves, as they told the story of their crafted nature by the materials and lack of visible seams. Even he had trouble discerning where the joints were unless he moved up close and inspected each one individually.

He thought about the last two months, before turning away from the living room and pushing open the door to the bedroom, pausing at the threshold and studying the contents therein. A bed large enough for him to sprawl comfortably, stuffed into the corner with grey sheets and a superbly divine fuzzy blanket that was... Also grey. Unpatterned. At the foot of the bed was a low bench that doubled as a storage unit for extra sheets. Against the wall next to the door was the dresser that was missing the mirror. Dark grey painted walls and ceiling, and a flat only somewhat lighter coloured grey carpet covered the floor.

On the other side of the bed was a nightstand where the charger for his phone lived and two 1/35 soldiers that flanked the alarm clock. That last piece of furniture was pushed forward enough that he could easily reach behind it and pull on the cord to unplug it. It was a trick he had learned many years ago in Shinra Tower that saved him an estimated thousands of gil in replacement clocks.

( _He had tried everything to lessen that reflexive instinct to pound both it and the nightstands into the floor with a fist when the alarm startled him awake, from different tones to the radio to distance across the room. He realized he had simply gotten angrier when he had to cross the room, or kept small objects on hand to throw at the clock._ )

( _Or had he? Was it from time spent as a Soldier, as a Cadet, was it the war in Wutai? Had he ever actually even gone to Wutai? No, he felt certain he hadn't._ )

A brief scan of the room reported that nothing was out of place, and so he stepped back and closed the door. Two steps to his left and he opened the bathroom door, picking out shapes in the darkness. Toilet seat and lid: Down ( _The memory of folding like a lawn chair was a somewhat hazy one, but the stark terror stood out. He had almost thought it had been a trap before the cold of the water had convinced him he had just been careless._ ) Shower curtain: Open ( _No ninjas in hiding._ ) Mirror: Covered, and his personal effects such as his toiletries kit were all neatly laid out in the order he used them in the morning. Stark black walls and white tile floor.

Nothing unusual there either. With a nod to himself, he stepped back and closed the door before staring at it for a long moment, drumming his fingers on the doorknob. Something was wrong, and he couldn't pinpoint what, precisely, was the problem. A scan of his kitchenette (microwave, toaster oven, portable burner, empty dish rack, closed cupboards, everything tucked away neatly) revealed the lack of visible evidence of what, precisely, was bothering him.

Could it be something related to Jenova, Raul pondered, frowning to himself as he focused. Listening to the silence, he reluctantly noted that the hum of electronics remained unbroken by internal voices and proverbial static and he still lacked any particular compulsion to go anywhere. For the nth time, the clone pulled his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open, checking for messages.

The innocent absence of any notifications worried him. The time was exactly in sync with the time on the microwave. He flipped it shut and turned to survey the living room once more, grimacing. Everything was exactly where he had meticulously placed it. Nothing was out of line.

Why then, was the hair on the back of his neck standing on end?

It wasn't as if he was confined to his rooms. He _chose_ to remain within them for the most part. He had lived there for two months and many people were still cautiously distant. With the way the base was largely empty the chances of crossing the path of another as he stalked the halls was slim to none, and after doing a full circuit of the base he decided to make his way to the surveillance room.

Maybe from there he could find some sort of disturbance, or so he thought, and on opening the door he paused as he came face to face with feline green eyes and short silver hair. Faint lines of blue erupted around the figure as it burst forward and nailed him in the stomach with some manner of metallic device mounted to the back of his assailants arm that then hissed and clicked-

Electricity arced through him, drawing a wheezing, pained gasp before it was withdrawn and the device lined up for a second shot. He hadn't recovered enough, wasn't fast enough to dodge left or right and so he simply dropped straight down as the strike was aimed for where his jaw had been. Coiling, he brought both feet up and launched out with them, planting them in his assailant's gut and launching him back into the surveillance room.

It bought him enough time to roll and get his feet under him before bolting down the hallway, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

( _Call Cloud. Silver hair on young, armed, unnaturally strong people meant Sephiroth-... But the blond never -did- answer his cellphone. Tifa, then. She was in Edge, she could get in touch with the right people, the rest of Avalanch-_ )

The screen of the phone exploded as a bullet zinged through the air and took it out before the clone threw himself down a side corridor and stuffed the now-useless piece of technology into his pocket. He -knew- there were guards outside, but... But they were unenhanced. They would die if they engaged the two in the compound. He felt his pace slowing as he considered the thought, considered who might be in the building, who might be able to help, to fight.

No one. Possibly Vincent, but the ex-turk didn't seem to keep regular hours and there was a one in twenty chance that he was actually in the building. That left the Cait Sith robots (which were all but useless in combat) and... Himself. Raul came to a stop in the hallway, ears picking up the rapid _thumpthumpTHUMPTHUMP_ of unnaturally fast footfalls approaching him.

He was unarmed. They had at least one gun and an armament that produced electricity, and the gunman was a hell of a good shot. He knew it had been deliberate and designed to evoke fear, the way a predator would play with its prey, because if he had the ability to do that he knew it was what he would have done too.

( _He -did- have the ability to do that, but using a gun always just felt so... Impersonal. What was the -point- of killing someone if you couldn't see the look on their face as the light faded from their eyes?_ )

( _He never wanted to see that. Never, never **never** never he was -NOT- a monster, but the footsteps were almost on top of him and he needed to MOVE to SPIN to STRIKE otherwise there would be PAIN-_)

Raul spun and reached, catching the strike meant for his kidney behind the armament and using his opponents momentum plus his own strength to shoulder check his opponent into the wall. Through the wall, in fact, as the stone gave way. There was a surprised grunt from the silver haired man he had a grip on and his head came up to recognized the mess hall. Lots of room. That was a shame, considering it meant the gunman had plenty of room and he would have very little cover.

( _He could flip the tables, but they would do the job just about as well as the wall had done for a solid barrier to break this fool's face against._ )

A shout for 'Loz!' followed them through the hole as his opponent wrenched himself free and squared up. He had clearly been expecting another melee attack and not the chair that came flying at him instead as the clone used it to cover his charge for the exit. The shout of 'He's getting away!' prompted him to drop into a slide, a bullet cracking through the air where his shoulder had been before he was at the door and kicking it open. Outside of the compound was only three walls away at that point.

Shaking dust and debris from his hair he turned to glance at the startled guard.

"Call Reeve. Tell him the base is under attack. I will hold their attention for as long as I can, and attempt to lead them up to the gym on the second floor."

"S-Sir?"

"Go!" The word was barked out, and he felt he had done a surprisingly good job at sounding like he had the entire thing under control as he ducked back through the hole, dove to the side to avoid a streak of 'Loz' shaped blue, and punched back through the wall into the receptionists room. He could hear her rapid heartbeat, which meant she was likely hiding under her desk.

Good, he thought to himself as he burst through the wall into the adjacent hallway and ducked, narrowly avoiding the barrel of the silver gun that came whipping through the air. If they remained focused on him, she might just make it through this. Longer silver hair drifted past him as he stepped in, twisted, gripped the arm holding the gun and hauled.

It should have floored his foe, but feline green eyes simply stared up at him in delight as the gunman braced his landing with his feet and... Produced a second gun. A quick shift to the right had it firing past his head and leaving his ears ringing at the proximity. He blamed the temporary loss of hearing for failing to notice 'Loz' as the bulkier of the two appeared beside him and landed a solid hit just below his ribs, sending him through the wall back into the mess hall and halfway across, through tables and chairs alike.

The electricity was the worst of it. He was solid enough that a hit like that -hurt-, but wouldn't cripple him. The electricity made the muscles spasm uselessly. He retaliated by throwing chairs, one after the other at the latest hole in the wall and grunting as he pushed himself back to his feet. One was deflected away while the other one was caught.

"Who -are- you, hmm? Only Brother should be able to keep up with Loz."

"Is Brother here, Yazoo?"

"He should be soon. And then, we can talk to him about where his brown-haired little friend took Kadaj."

( _Brown haired? Tifa. They were after Tifa._ )

( _That was no good. Tifa was **his**._)

( _Wait, what?_ )

"Tell us, when will Brother get here? We tried to send him a message, but he never answers his phone. I want to play with him!" It was the bulkier of the two who was speaking now, 'Loz' presumably. That made the willowy one with the gun Yazoo.

"You want to play?" Raul considered the words as he dusted himself off. "Very well then. Tag. You're it."

Not his best choice of words. He was certain that with time he could have done better but as he was currently pounding down the hallway with all pretense of stealth thrown out the window he felt they weren't as bad as they could have been. He made it to the stairwell and the force of his impact removed one of the doors clean off its hinges. He was glad he'd had the forethought to lead with his shoulder. Spinning around the metal, he snagged it by both sides and bodily hurled it through the space he had just occupied, earning a grunt as it caught Loz.

Fortunately for him, 'Yazoo' seemed content to follow along and try to puzzle out who he was, and both of them chased him up the stairs. He didn't have enough momentum to take the door off of its hinges but that didn't stop him from slamming it closed behind him and smirking at the grunt before the bulkier of the two was on his heels once more. The gym was just to the right, and he didn't bother trying the door. He knew the metal door was locked.

The wall beside it, however, was 'flimsy' pressboard. He went through it like tissue paper.

"Are you a Remnant of His will, like us?" Loz again, though he was stalking through the hole as Raul settled into the middle of the gym, one of the wooden training swords the regulars used settled in his hand.

"That depends. Who is 'he'?" Stalling, the clone flexed his empty hand, trying to focus.

( _Sword. Sword would be nice. Even half of it. The half with the handle, preferably. Please._ )

"Now now, Loz, he might be like Brother. He might be rejecting Him." Yazoo stepped otherwise soundlessly through the hole, looking around. The gym was dimly lit by sunlight that filtered in through windows set high in the walls, almost against the ceiling.

"You don't know who He is? Aww, don't cry. You're fun to play with, so I'll keep you alive so that we can play much longer. Maybe you'll even get to meet Him." Loz held both of his arms out, grinning. He looked unfortunately uninjured, despite the door he had taken to the face moments ago. Yazoo looked equally unruffled as he slipped to the side, tapping the barrel of the gun to his lips.

"Glowing eyes. Round pupils. Mako, but none of His cells? There is something to the face, however..."

Raul quirked a brow, still flexing his disappointingly empty hand.

( _I should be able to call my-The Masamune. What prevents me from doing so?_ )

( _Any time now, sword. I know Sephiroth can pull you out of thin air, otherwise he could never have gone anywhere with you. Please? I said please. Thought it, at least._ )

"Yazoo, can we keep him? Please? He didn't die after I hit him." The bulkier of the two beamed over at his willowy brother as Yazoo smirked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Don't cry Loz, I'm sure Brother will be here soon. In the meantime, why don't you play with our new friend? He seems to think a silly wooden sword will help him."

Loz frowned, sulking before beaming and turning his attention fully on the clone in the center of the room.


	8. Chapter 8

As expected, the wooden sword lasted for a single, largely ineffective counter against his foe's charge before he had been forced to throw the rest of the useless thing away. He had tried to make it count, but instead of bursting through his opponents chest it simply splintered and went everywhere. He hadn't bothered to squelch the look of disappointment that crossed his face as he sidestepped the tackle, weaving and working to try and keep Yazoo in sight even as he dodged a right cross and used his forearm to seep aside a punch aimed at his gut.

Tried to, at least, as he quickly learned that the armament that Loz used wasn't directional challenged and produced electricity along the part that covered his foe's forearm, not -only- the two slightly horned sections that stuck out from the front. The worst part was that the bulkier silver haired man had produced a second out of nothingness.

( _Of course, weapon manifestation works for -them- but not -him-. He_ _needed to complain less, and focus more on the resources he have on hand._ )

They were attached to his forearms by straps that crisscrossed the forearm and anchored at the other end of the armament. Briefly, he entertained the idea of tearing it off of his foe's arm and putting it on his own, but discounted it. Nothing except incompetence would prevent Loz from simply manifesting it back onto his own arm, and his effort would be wasted.

Two more jabs were narrowly avoided, before he struck upon an idea. An absurd idea, but an idea nonetheless and as he danced and wove away from the oncoming barrage the clone worked on undoing his braid. It was easy enough, considering he didn't dare risk using his arms to deflect or knock aside blows at that point in the game. A smirk crossed his features as he finally had the entire thing undone and took up the length of it in his hands.

Let it never be said that the Silver General was ever truly unarmed. Everything was a weapon, with the right mindset and motivation. He had four feet of durable improvised garrote wire to work with, and anyone that had ever tried to pull hair apart could attest to the strength of even a few strands tied together. Doable, but not without great effort.

Raul was using more than a few strands, and his only main concern was how he would go about strangling Loz before he got himself shot. That meant he had to go for a clean break, and his opponent was largely too busy laughing at him to take him seriously.

( _Good. He could work with that. A lunge, loop and pull, to distract and bring the hands up as he went past before he would let go, then reach up and sharply twist. Loz was fast, but not -that- fast, and his speed so far was largely in short, straight bursts._ )

"Brother, look! He thinks he can fight with his hair-"

It was a half-second more of an opening than he needed. He bolted forward, sliding under the reflexive swing before he spun and threw the loop of his hair over his foe's head. Most of it settled around the neck, and with that the clone dropped and hauled. Loz wheezed, reaching up and clawing at the hair before swinging blindly. Raul grit his teeth as he was clipped by one of the armaments, but twisted and continued to haul to put his foes body between him and the snarling gunman.

He still got shot in the leg, but he retained his precious advantage and tucked the end of his hair into the fistful that made the other end of the choking, suffocating and blinding loop he had the remnant by. It importantly freed up his hand so that he could reach up, wrap a hand around his foe's face and haul to the side. The neck didn't break, unfortunately, and instead two surprisingly strong hands clamped around his wrist and hauled him clear, swinging him and breaking his grip on his hair as Yazoo launched him sliding and skidding across the floor.

Loz gasped for breath, red in the face and giving Raul the dirtiest snarl as he recovered his breath. The clone didn't have the luxury of admiring it as he pushed himself into a roll to avoid the first shot, curling to try and make himself as small as possible as he was grazed by the second, and then-

And then Cloud was there. And Tifa was there, and so was Reno and Rude. The latter hauled him up and pulled him towards the door and out down the hall a few feet, partially supporting him as his leg refused to support his weight. A glance down showed him why.

( _Femoral artery. He had lost a lot of blood. Disgraceful_ )

Reno held a materia in his hand, checking for an exit wound before beginning to cast and cursing over the sound of fighting in the next room.

"What the hell happened!?"

"I found them in the surveillance room. What are they?"

"Remnants. Larval forms of Sephiroth." Rude's words drew a grimace from the clone. "What are they after?"

"Tifa. They want to know where she took someone named Kadaj." Raul's head came up and he shifted to bodily haul both turks away from the gym doors, away from the thundering footsteps that announced the incoming arrival of the remnants through the wall next to it and then out the next wall where they sailed, falling slowly over the cliff.

'They'll be back. They always are." Cloud stepped out of the hole, frowning before glancing over. "Raul?"

"Alive." The clone pushed himself up, wobbling before Rude caught him. Reno scampered back to his feet and waved the glowing material.

"Shit, bud, you gotta stay still for healing otherwise it might go wrong!"

* * *

"They were after me?" The fighter blinked. The five of them were sitting in the mess hall as staff members came by and tried to clean up.

"And someone else. They called him Brother and said he never answers his phone." Raul rolled his shoulder, glancing at Cloud and frowning at the unsurprised grimace that crossed his face. The scrape from bullet that had grazed him itched as it healed.

"Why would they be after Tifa?" The blond swordsman frowned, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned and tucked his chin onto his pressed-together knuckles.

"Well... Maybe not. They said 'little brown-haired friend'. Who else do you know that has brown hair, Cloud?" The clone shifted, starting to braid his hair. He paused as the four of them traded glances. "... What information am I missing?"

"It makes more sense that it would be _her_ they were after, but also less." Tifa frowned, drawing her knees up.

"Aerith. The last Cetra. She... Died. Sephiroth killed her, trying to stop her from summoning Holy to protect the pla..."

( _Cloud's words faded into the distance as he saw before him a great empty space, around which wound a crystaline staircase. There, in the pink dress. Beautiful and horrendous all at once, with long brown hair braided and tied with a ridiculous pink ribbon. His Target. His Hinderance. His Foe. The one person that repeatedly proved to be a problem. Even now her mere presence made his Puppet pull at his strings and try to resist. Frustratingly, it was a struggle to get the Puppet to raise the sword though he took a perverse sort of glee at the panic that he could practically taste._

_Fearful, whimpering pleading whispers and tension flit across the connection and bond he had forged with this Soldier First Class wannabe and thrummed across his mind, and he let his lips quirk and pull into a smirk. It was delicious, but he -was- on something of a tight schedule. Still, it served as a distraction for the others as he stepped off of the crystal staircase that the fools had unknowingly left open for him. They had spent so much time trying to chase him that they had never stopped to think that he might be using them to lead him to his Prey._

_Masamune sang in his hand, point oriented down as he plummeted, unafraid of the distance. He would take no damage from the fall, in fact he was already slowing his descent as the blade pierced through the girl's body and slid smoothly out the other side. He touched down, feather-light, and savored the wide-eyed panic and despair stamped across his Puppet's face..._ )

"Raul?"

The clone jerked abruptly, blinking and glancing up at where Tifa had settled her hand on his shoulder.

"I... I saw." His voice was quiet as his lip curled in disgust. He felt _dirty_ , down to the marrow of his bones, as if he could scrub and scrub and scrub until there was nothing left behind, not even flesh and he still wouldn't ever be clean. Shuddering, Raul pushed himself carefully to his feet before turning and starting to pick his way through the chairs and tables.

"Wait, Raul-"

"Let him go, Tifa." Cloud watched the clone exit the mess hall, before sighing and scrubbing his hands back through his hair. "His memories are usually from Sephiroth's perspective, and from what I know of him he probably recognizes how wrong those feelings were."

The fighter nodded slowly, though that didn't stop her from staring at the door he had exited through for a long moment.

* * *

Raul heard the knock at his door, and ignored it. He had supplies to last a few days without having to leave his rooms, and that might be long enough to shake the bitter taste in his mouth. He had known that Sephiroth had done a number of decidedly detrimental things for society and the planet, he had known that there were times when he had even enjoyed them, but the clarity of that specific memory spoke of a fondness for that particular moment that went beyond perverse and into downright depraved.

But that wasn't -him-. He wasn't _Sephiroth_ , and the past actions of the dead man had only as much bearing as the clone allowed them to have. He had refused to enjoy such things in the past, and he would continue to refuse to enjoy them in the future.

There was another knock on the door, and he ignored it once more before realizing that it wasn't echoing from the outside door, but his bedroom door. He was under the impression he had locked both of them, which meant it was likely one of the turks. If Reno waltzed into his bedroom, Raul was going to pitch him clear through the living room and out into the hallway if he had to.

The door unlocked itself, and the clone drew himself up to prepare to eject the red-head from his chambers. The door opened, and red greeted him before a gold clawed hand snapped up to catch his own.

"You... Are not Reno."

Vincent simply stared at him for a moment until, satisfied that he was no longer being attacked, the ex-turk let his hand go. "... Tifa is worried about you. Seclusion does not keep the mind healthy when your only companions are dark thoughts."

"I... Am fine, but thank you. I simply needed to shower and get a change of clothes." And some time alone, away from the bitterness in their eyes as they remembered how the original had murdered their friend.

( _And enjoyed it. It was only spoiled by the calm acceptance. He had hoped she would scream, wail-_ )

The clone shook himself slightly, before looking to the gunman in his living room. "Please, I just need to be alone for a little bit."

"You could be a better Sephiroth."

"... Pardon?"

Vincent impassively studied Raul for a moment before turning and heading further into the living room to study the art on the walls. "You are afraid. You refuse to use a proper weapon because you don't want to become Sephiroth. You could become a better one. Lucrecia's son was a hero, before he went insane."

"Become a better one. Just like that." Raul scowled, tempted to close the bedroom door but knowing that it wouldn't yield any long-term results.

"I have some... Experience with being a monster." The gold-covered claw was raised, and the ex-turk stared at it contemplatively.

"Because you were a turk?"

Red eyes flit over to the clone, narrowing slightly before Vincent turned to face him properly. A shimmer filled the air around him like a personal heat wave before the gunman curled and growled. The sound rumbled out, resonating through the room as a red mane of hair erupted from his scalp and down his back. Two horns protruded as the beast dropped to all fours, pushing the couch and table away to make room for the form of the Galian Beast. Purple hued fur bristled as beady red eyes stared through Raul, before turning and carefully pushing the door open and padding out.


	9. Chapter 9

The clone healed quickly. Mako enhancements would do that. He was offered a mission to clear debris from one of the highways in Midgar so that they could get trucks in deeper and recover more materials, but he declined. Instead, he requested another cellphone and sat on the roof as he thought long and hard about the attack on the compound.

( _He shouldn't have lost. He was better, in every conceivable way than his foes had been. He was stronger. Faster. Had more training._ )

( _He had been unarmed and alone. He had done the best he could with what he'd had on hand._ )

His distraction of the two had, apparently, contained the worst of the attack. Yazoo and Loz had apparently snuck their way in and killed the communicators in the surveillance room specifically to search for areas that had people, and it was estimated that they were going to hit the barracks and sweep outwards from there to kill everyone they could while they waited for Cloud. It felt... Nice, actually, to know he had saved even a few lives.

He thought about the newspaper clippings that kept magically finding their way onto his end table. Tales of Sephiroth's heroic deeds, with some sections crossed out and comprehensive notes on the truth of the article taped to the back. He learned, perhaps very importantly, that he could force memories to return if he focused hard enough specific subjects, but it was a work in progress. The memories that were roused as he read them helped to clarify things almost as much as they confused him.

The Silver General had been fiercely protective of his Soldiers, before during and after Wutai. He had, subconsciously, seemingly adopted all of them as his family even as he kept himself at a distance for obvious reasons such as the barely enhanced broke too easily, and what if his temper got the best of him? All Soldiers, Third class and up were subjected to mako injections that made them, as a general rule, sometimes rather more rowdy or rambunctious than before. Aggressive. They functioned similar to a pack of wolves. Rough and tumble at play that could easily be mistaken for constant attempts to kill each other off.

Sephiroth had been their Alpha, and he had protected them as best he could from the Science department. Long hours were spent pouring over reports, finding who worked best with who to minimize infighting and encourage teamwork. Subtle hints were dropped to trainers and teachers about who to nudge in what direction. Through thick and thin, the original had monitored and watched and delighted in the achievements of his subordinates even as he privately mourned any losses.

Nobody could -replace- a Soldier that had died. Sure another could be attached to the same team but to there was no 'replacement'. If someone could be replaced, that meant they were expendable in the first place. They all understood that, and it only strengthened the bonds between them all. The closer they got to the top, the more they interacted with Sephiroth himself and the more they realized that he spent half the time he did in Hojo's lab going over every procedure with a fine-toothed comb to make damn sure that none of _his_ people would suffer from complications.

And they were _his_ people. Fiercely loyal, protective, and possessive. All wrapped up in a quiet, controlled exterior that maybe got a little carried away sometimes. He pushed himself entirely too hard and refused to buckle, to bend even an inch beneath the weight of the responsibility for each and every Soldier's life that he touched.

Losing Genesis and Angeal had cracked him. Learning that the degradation was incurable had driven him into a frenzy as he scoured every available resource that -wasn't- that thrice-damned Hojo as every day he worried and waited and hoped that his friends, his _brothers_ might return. He couldn't go after them. He had wanted to, but he couldn't exactly take everyone in Soldier with him, at least not until the newest batch of Thirds finished their first round of enhancements. It was always the most delicate process of them all, three injections set over the course of a month.

So he pretended not to notice the mission request that asked him to send a squad out to recover First Class Zack Fair. It 'mysteriously' never made it to his desk, and if anybody even noticed the ash that he had scattered from his window they kept it to themselves. The second one was set on his desk by one of his aides, and it managed to 'somehow get lost' amid the shuffle of his paperwork. The third was emailed to him and promptly deleted, and by the time one of the turks had stopped by his office to tell him they were going to handle it, Zack had burst back into the office as if nothing had ever changed.

Everyone knew they were lying when they said that Zack hadn't left the city, but it was an unspoken agreement that rippled through the ranks that everyone had, at some point, seen the First in the last month in the city. Nobody dared directly confront him about it, and they had all shared his pain to a degree when word got out that Angeal was dead. When Zack had returned without Genesis either, it was a silent companionship that filled the Soldier floors of Shinra Tower. Everyone in Soldier was moody, snapping at 'outsiders' until everything had calmed back down. The wound had healed over. Scarred, but it no longer bled freely.

The clone was still missing details as to what, exactly had happened but he was beginning to notice subtle differences in the way the original had thought, pre and post Nibelheim. Where a quiet, focused man had once stood a wanton murderer had appeared. There had always been moments where the Silver General had been cruel, but rarely had he delighted in it when there was no reason to. A far cry from the man who had taken great pleasure in trying to make Cloud kill one of his friends.

'You could be a better Sephiroth.' Vincent had said. 'Lucrecia's son was a hero, before he went insane.'

Raul thought about the transformation he had witnessed, and continued turning things over in his mind as he watched clouds drift by overhead.

* * *

Cloud was surprised to see it was the clone that had knocked on the door to his quarters in the compound.

"... Raul, it's... Just after six in the morning. What do you want?"

"I was informed that you were heading out at oh seven hundred. I need a sword."

-That- got the delivery boy's attention, and he studied the clone with a frown before nodding.

"It's not the Masamune, but I have something that might fit you."

Raul nodded, before clasping his hands behind his back. "What is it called?"

"Murasama." Cloud smiled slightly at the baffled look that crossed the clone's face. "I purchased it while I was in Wutai a while ago. Two pairs of linked slots, one spare. I have better swords, so I don't use it."

"I... Will admit I do not quite enjoy the irony at the similarities in the names between the swords."

"It was also called the Demon Blade." The blond swordsman eventually came back out with the sheathed katana, offering it out. "It's said that soft rains fell when this sword was forged, and the dew still rises on it each evening to wash off the day's blood. I want you to think about the similarities and differences."

"And you are... -Sure- that this is the sword that you should give me?" Raul hesitated, one hand shifting to reach out but drawing back. As Cloud nodded, he relented and reached out with both hands to accept the sheathed blade. "... Thank you."

"Don't break it. Do you know how to take care of it?"

( _The blade was two feet long, at best. It curved slightly, and wouldn't be half the hassle to clean as Masamune had been._ )

"I... Believe I can figure it out. Thank you, again." The clone bowed slightly, and as he straightened he blinked at the way the blond swordsman studied him, searching his face with his eyes.

"... Don't make me regret it."

Raul nodded, before turning and heading out. He had a gym to practice in.

* * *

Two weeks. It took him two weeks to feel comfortable enough with a blade in hand to accept a monster slaying mission. Raul wasn't certain whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing, but if nothing else he at least felt like he could defend himself. Tifa and Vincent went with him, though both hung back to observe and give advice if he asked for it. Six large, dead wolves later and he was back in the gym on the second floor, practicing again. It became something of a cycle where he would go out on a mission with two others, complete the mission and then return. He never complained about them being easy, or time consuming. He didn't even complain when the two that went with him were normal people.

Instead, he learned names. Faces. Made connections. He made the people in the WRO _his_ people. He gave honest results when he re-did his fitness tests. He gave (usually bad) advice, weathered the consequences and learned from his mistakes, social and otherwise.

They eventually gave him materia. Basic ones that he would have to grow and evolve himself. Restore. Revive. All. Sense. Some careful wheedling, a hint dropped here and there pointed him towards Vincent whereupon he convinced the ex-turk to 'lend' him a Double Cut materia. Barrier and Seal were purchases made with what he saved up from the monster bits he sold after his missions.

The only items he had that bore any slots for materia was his sword and a mythril armlet that he wore around his bicep. He paired Barrier with All, as a result of his missions with those who were unenhanced, believing that if he could prevent the damage in the first place maybe they might survive. For the most part, he was right. There was only one casualty in the months that followed, and it had largely been that particular cadet's own fault.

( _Whomever thought that testing if something was raw mako by -sticking their hand in a pool of it- was destined to be weeded out by natural selection anyways._ )

He still wrote a letter to the cadet's next of kin. Nobody was replaceable. Nobody was expendable. Not even the stupid ones. He liked to think that Zack would have been proud of him.

( _He would have been. First Class Fair had been everybody's friend and had tried to drag him along enough times that the intent was clear. He stayed at work too long and went out too little._ )

All the while, he honed his skills and grew in strength. So when he intercepted rumours that spoke of sightings of two men with silver hair in the Junon area, he was already in Tseng's office and asking him if he had ever gotten around to changing the start code for his car.

Bring it back with so much as a scratch on it, Tseng calmly told him, and he would make sure that Raul was never so much as allowed to touch a vehicle ever again. The clone believed him. He had only learned how important that car was to the turk after he had learned how to drive it properly. He wasn't surprised to learn that Reno and Rude had already been deployed in a helicopter, and promised to rendezvous with them at his earliest convenience. Cloud, though he was currently helping refugees repopulate and resettle Nibelheim (and removing anything and everything important that denoted the history of the mansion) was going to head there as soon as he could as well, with the possibility of Cid and the Shera giving him a lift to cut down on travel time.

Raul packed his bag and made sure to re-dye his hair before he left.


	10. Chapter 10

Technology was amazing. Earbud headphones had _microphones_ now, so he kept the side with the microphone in his ear even the cord ran down the back of his shirt and into the auxiliary port on his phone. He knew the keypad and had memorized the shortcuts, so he could call people blindly and subtly so long as he kept one hand free. Such was how he dialed Captain Reid.

 _"Raul, I heard I should be expecting you. You made good time._ "

"The perks of being owed a favour by the turks, Sir." It felt... _Weird_ , calling other people 'sir' but it wasn't like he had an actual rank after all. "I'm just outside the Charleston, but protocol dictates that I report in and I wanted to speak with you before engaging. Is there anything I should know? Hostages, altercations...?"

_"Not at this time. All we know for sure is that one was seen through the window and neither of them have left the building in two days."_

"What is the likelihood of this being a set up, an elderly individual or someone with simply poor fashion sense?"

_"Already investigated each of those angles. Reception says the room was rented privately, over worldwide network, and that she was instructed to leave the keycard in an envelope by the staff entrance."_

"Bribed, or threatened Sir?"

_"Threatened. They emailed her a picture of her daughter and cat. We've already taken the liberty of evacuating as many people as we could, as we heard you would be arriving. Buildings on either side are empty as well."_

"Both of them?" The clone frowned, and it must have reflected in his tone as Captain Reid sounded somewhat sheepish with his response.

 _"We all heard about the attack on the base, Raul. No offense._ "

"None taken. How long ago was everyone evacuated, Sir?"

_"About an hour ago."_

"Thank you Sir." Raul disconnected the call, and looked up at the building. Six stories. He should have asked what room they had rented.

* * *

He felt... Restless. It was all the confirmation he needed that _they_ were there. He could recognize it this time around, like static across the back of his neck that made the short hairs stand on end. The beads that weighed his bangs down clicked quietly, and he paused in the stairwell to adjust and space them out a little bit better to reduce the noise they might make. The feeling grew stronger as he approached the fifth floor, lessening slightly as he passed it and causing him to back track. He stilled as the door from the fifth floor creaked quietly open. A child poked their head out. Ashen blond, small, vulnerable. The head turned this way and that and the clone was part-way through rising from his crouched posture before he noticed the feline green eyes that scanned the shadows.

A weight settled into the pit of Raul's stomach as their eyes met, before the child turned and scampered presumably down the hallway, door closing with a quiet click. He wasted no time, dialing with one hand as the other traced along the handle of the Murasama.

_"Raul."_

"There is a -child-." The clone practically hissed out the words as he leaned against the wall. "They know I'm here. The child has feline green eyes."

( _The first time he had killed a child it had been an accident. He had been in the slums on an extermination mission as a 'birthday gift' that was meant more to test how strong he was growing, and the desperate didn't know who he was. He hadn't even been anyone particularly famous at that time, and he had been cornered._ )

 _"Calm down. I'm an hour out. Try and stall for time. Tifa should get there before I do._ "

"I'm on the fifth floor."

 _"Be careful, Raul._ " The call disconnected, and the clone took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders and moving to the door. There was no point in relying on stealth, they knew he was there, after all. A glance down the hallway revealed two rows of closed doors, save for one halfway down on the right that was cracked open. Deliberate? Accidental? Any of these doors could have enemies behind them.

( _He had the feeling they would talk before attacking. They were intrigued by him, after all. He as an oddity. He could armor himself with confidence and that would stay their hands better than any threat. They weren't desperate children. Shoulders squared, chin dipped only slightly, one hand on the hilt of the sword while the other hung loosely at his side. He had practiced it for hours, and learned that if he walked as if he was on a balancing beam it made it look like he was stalking forward. Intimidation was something that must not be underestimated._ )

He chose to interpret the open door as an invitation and made his way smoothly down the hall. His free hand came up to brush the door the rest of the way open before he stepped in, coming face to face with three children with identical eyes and Loz. He offered the taller of the group a slight nod.

"Loz. What game have you chosen to play today?"

"Brother said I can't play with you today." The remnant sulked, folding his arms. "I have to babysit. It's a very important job, and Brother said he's counting on me."

That meant Yazoo wasn't likely there. He could take Loz by himself, but let his gaze drop to the three children. Two girls, one boy. All of them with ashen blond hair. "It's a very important responsibility. Did your family grow? Are these new siblings?"

"They are! Oh, but Yazoo said I shouldn't tell anyone anything." The remnant pouted, shifting from foot to foot.

"But I thought of a wonderful game we could play. It's not as exciting or fun as roughhousing around, but it's called two truths and a lie. Do you know how to play it?" Raul quirked a brow, letting a smile tease across his face. "Of course you do, you're Loz. You know all the most fun games, don't you."

"Of course I know how to play it." He huffed, before looking a little uncertain, if excited at the prospect of a game. "I just... Haven't played it in forever."

"It never hurts to know house rules either. Two truths a lie, where you say two things that are true, and one thing that's a lie, and everyone else playing has to guess what the lie is. I'll start. My hair is black, my eyes glow, and I'm waiting for a friend. Which one is the lie, Loz?"

"You're not waiting for a friend, duh. I can see your eyes and hair from here." The remnant grinned.

"Very good." Raul canted his head to the side. The static was getting worse, which meant that Yazoo was probably getting close. "Your turn."

"Okay, uhh... Oh! I'm Loz, I'm waiting for my Brother and... And I like trains!" The remnant beamed, straightening as the clone pursed his lips and made a show of thinking about it.

"Hmm... A tough one... But I'm going to guess that... You don't actually like trains." He let another smile tease across his face as Loz pouted.

"No fair, you cheated somehow!"

"Just a lucky guess. My turn." Now came the delicate moment. How best to weave his guesses into 'truths' and 'lies' about the children. "These children... Something was done to them to make their eyes look like that, you brought them here from far away and... Yazoo isn't expected to be back for a while."

( _A gamble. There were no reports of missing children from the area, and Yazoo was picking up speed on his way up the stairs._ )

Loz dithered for a moment, trying to figure out which one was the lie before perking up, looking relieved. "Silly. Yazoo's behind you! That one was the lie!"

"-What-, precisely, are you doing with my brother."

The momentary relief regarding his suspicions concerning the 'natural' state of the three children was tucked away as the clone turned his head just enough to look over his shoulder. "Loz was bored, so we were playing a game."

"Haha! It was fun! But he's -stupid- 'cause he said he was waiting for a friend but that was a lie. We should take him with us!" The burly remnant's expression was delighted with the idea, but fell quickly as Yazoo narrowed his eyes.

"I told you not to talk to anyone while I'm not around, Loz."

"I'm... I'm sorry, Brother. I was just so bored, and-"

"Don't blame him. I invited myself in and engaged him." Turning somewhat so that he could look back and forth between the two remnants, he weighed his options. He could -probably- grab all three kids and make a break for it out through the window. They might fight him, though, and he only had one hand to spare. He could take -Loz- and make a break for it through the window, but again he only had one hand to spare. He could continue trying to talk to the two of them, but Yazoo seemed far more cautious and reserved. It would be harder to get them to let things slip. But maybe...

He'd never thought that the colour of his hair might come in handy for once. He just had to hope that Loz was too stupid and caught up in the moment to think back to his lie earlier. He could also improvise and try to spin it as if he had been waiting for Yazoo.

"You know, I'm not so different from the two of you. I have silver hair as well. That's why, when I came up here... I just wanted to talk. To be around people that were different, the same way I am." That got their attention, and he removed his hand from the handle of his katana to start removing the beads from his bangs, letting them defy gravity. "I dye it, so that people... So that people don't hate me."

"You..." Yazoo's eyes widened as he paced around, studying the profile and smiling slightly. "You're like us then. The humans, they're only using you. They only want to hurt you, you know."

"I know, but..." Raul dropped his gaze, shoulders slumping slightly. His voice shifted to take on a softer tone, almost a whisper. "... But I'm afraid. I'm afraid that they might hunt me down, if I don't fit in."

"See Brother? He should come with us! We could show him everything, teach him what the stinky humans refuse to. He could learn the truth!" Loz surged forward, clamping a hand down on the clone's shoulder even as he looked to the slender remnant with hope stamped across his features. Outside, a floorboard quietly creaked, and to cover it Raul sighed loudly.

"But I'm worried. The humans, they're very strong. And there's a lot of them. More then there are of us. Millions of them, versus the _three children_ and _pair of you_ and me."

"Don't worry, Brother. Our family's way bigger than this. We've been-"

"Loz." The burlier remnant jumped slightly, raising both hands and staring at Yazoo with wide eyes as the gunman's lips pulled into an ugly scowl. "He... He can't hear her. He can't hear Mother. I've been trying to sense a connection, but there isn't one. He just _looks_ like one of us. Nothing more."

"The humans did something to me-" The clone shut up as a gun materialized out of thin air and was aimed swiftly at his face.

"No. No more _lies_. You're stalling."

"Broth-?" Raul slipped to the side quickly, behind Loz before kicking the burly remnant towards Yazoo. The gunman was already moving, however, already adjusting the angle and trajectory and firing rounds off.

* * *

Tifa could hear everything clearly from the hall as she waited for Cloud. As far as she could tell, Raul was doing a good job of keeping them occupied.

"But I'm worried. The humans, they're very strong. And there's a lot of them. More then there are of us. Millions of them, versus the _three children_ and _pair of you_ and me."

Three children. Cloud's message had mentioned one. It must have been a new development. The building across the way was empty, though she didn't quite have the sheer physical strength to punch holes in the walls to get inside it. She had seen a few balconies, however. If she grabbed two, then Raul could grab one. But what about the remnants...

"Don't worry, Brother. Our family's way bigger than this. We've been-"

"Loz. He... He can't hear her. He can't hear Mother. I've been trying to sense a connection, but there isn't one. He just _looks_ like one of us. Nothing more."

The atmosphere in the room changed, and she glanced down the hall to check the elevator and door to the stairwell. No change. Cloud wasn't due to arrive for another fifteen minutes anyways.

"The humans did something to me-"

"No. No more _lies_. You're stalling."

"Broth-?"

She heard the impact and sprang into action, crossing the final few feet to the doorway and coming in low. Shots rang out, piercing through the plaster and she took only the briefest of moments to take stock of the situation before angling to her right. Raul had his sword drawn and was batting shots out of the air with one hand, the other outstretched towards the children who, as one, crumpled to the ground. Breathing, so she realized they must have been asleep. She hit Yazoo with every ounce of force she could muster, catching him by surprise before he rounded on her and she was twisting, dodging as fast as she could as she ignored the sting of the shots that grazed her.

"Swap!" It was Raul's voice. She didn't hesitate, turning and dropping into a slide tackle to take the burly clone's feet out from under him even as the clone went sailing past, katana in both hands to send bullets ricocheting harmlessly away. The cramped space worked well for them, save for one, small detail. Out of the four of them, Tifa was going to get tired first.

( _Really, Masamune wouldn't have worked in such a cramped space. He was surprisingly glad to have the shorter katana on hand._ )

"Tifa. You know what I am going to ask of you." Yazoo had produced his second gun, and the clone was forced to step twice as fast to keep the fighter behind him from getting shot.

"If I had time, we would argue about that!"

"But we don't. Please. It will be different this time." Tifa didn't waste her breath huffing, though as she dropped and swept out with a foot to try and re-trip Loz she did snort.

"I'll need a hole."

( _He remembered how Cloud had moved, hacking through falling debris before their swords met. He was fast enough. If the -puppet- could do it, then there was no reason to think he couldn't either._ )

( _He protected the people that were his. Nobody was expendable. Nobody could be replaced._ )

Raul let go of the sword with one hand, pivoted, and drew the sheath of the katana across as hard as he could as Tifa coiled under his swing. It caught Loz across the jaw and sent him head-first against the wall, disorienting the burly remnant for a moment. The crack of both of Yazoo's guns snapped his attention back, and he brought his sword around in an ark to sweep both bullets from the air as the fighter uncoiled like a spring with the tension released. She was on all three children in a heartbeat, scooping them up before kicking through the window and vanishing out of sight.

Of course, this left him in a confined space with two particularly fast, enhanced people who seemed to have some sort of psychic link, considering they never seemed to be in danger of harming one another without him bodily moving one into the path of the other. Using a weapon in each hand divided his attention, and they worked hard to make sure he was flanked at all times. Curiously, (he was counting the shots) the guns Yazoo's hands never ran out of ammunition nor needed a moment to be reloaded, whereas both of the armaments Loz used had a half-second delay between the initial contact and the electrical discharge.

The sheath in his left hand was starting to look cracked and damaged as he hooked the tip past the burly remnant's forearm and spun, sweeping aside the jab that would otherwise have caught him even as he tipped his blade up to spoil the slender remnant's aim. He was starting to discern their patterns, left hand shot right hook, followed by right hand shot and a left straight. The remnants mirrored one another so that their attacks never crossed the space to the other.

That in mind, he went into another spin and brought the katana around with him, startling both as the attack was aimed at neither of them and saluting with the sheath as the floor gave out from under him to drop him into the room below. Loz jumped in after him, landing and catching sight of him as he exited through the glass door and got onto the edge of the railing of the balcony. A jump allowed him to catch the balcony of the room the gunman remained within and he swung himself over even as he ignored the bullet that burned its way through his shoulder. A quick reversal of his grip on the katana was paired with the first step as he burst through the glass door there as well, and as the slender remnant hopped backwards to get over the hole he launched the blade like a javelin.

It caught Yazoo in the shoulder and carried him back against the wall, pinned and looking panicked as the clone brought the sheath down with both hands to crack it against the remnants skull.

( _One down, one to go._ )

"Brother, no! You'll pay for that!" Dropping down the hole with the sheath in hand, he paused and blinked at the empty space even as he felt half of the static 'receding' at a rapid pace. Glancing up, he jumped and cleared the hole, landing lightly on the edge of it and turning to make sure the slender remnant was truly out cold with a liberal application of sleepel before he recovered his blade, sheathed it, and hauled Yazoo to the stairwell so that he could start picking his way down.


	11. Chapter 11

Raul tested the restraints before they were used on the remnant. If -he- couldn't get out of them, then there wouldn't be any surprise escapes. Three separate sets had been muscled out of before they found ones that he agreed were suitable. He also warned them about the guns, and the blades they had been lined with but it Cloud simply nodded and admitted he was familiar with them. They ended up encasing the remnant's hands in cement, just as an extra precaution.

After a behemoth of a man named 'Azul' had escaped and rampaged through the facility, Reeve had seen fit to include some reinforced cells in the redesigned compound. Vincent had personally tested them, and it was assured that it would take more than Yazoo was capable of to get free. They had divested him of the wallet and phone he had been carrying before settling him inside the cell, closing and locking the door as the slender remnant started to come around.

He was less than talkative, sitting slumped in the corner and staring blankly out at anyone that looked inside the window with his faintly glowing green feline eyes.

"Is that what my eyes looked like, in the reactor in Nibelheim?"

Cloud nodded. They were standing in the surveillance room and watching Yazoo through the monitor. "It was worse, though. Brighter glow. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If I back out now, I will have removed the dye from my hair for nothing." A silver brow arched as the clone turned to face the blond swordsman, adjusting the black leather coat with its silver pauldrons. It fit him uncomfortably well. "Loz was more talkative. This has a better chance of working with him, if we can find him."

"I was more talking about your own eyes. Nibelheim showed us that it's physically possible, but..."

"I have to do something. If that means work myself into just below a frothing rage to have half a chance at finding out what was done to those children, then I owe it to them to try." Raul reached up to feel at his bangs, before shaking his head. "Perhaps I can convince him that I am Sephiroth."

"No, he's too smart to trust that. From what you said, he attacked you as soon as he worked out you don't have it." Cloud frowned faintly. "If he attacks you, be careful."

"Don't worry. I have an idea."

* * *

The door opened to let the clone into Yazoo's cell before closing and locking behind him. Both were silent for a long moment, sizing up the other with matching feline eyes.

( _They were hurting children._ )

"Yazoo." Raul broke the silence first, eyes narrowing. "Where is Loz going."

( _This wasn't one of **his** people. In fact, this worthless maggot had **killed** two of his people. He had no reason to be **nice**._)

The remnant predictably didn't answer, staring unblinkingly at the clone. A slight curl of one hand put a barrier over the outside of the door before he strode forward and reached up, tilting the camera so that it was oriented towards the wall instead. He stepped back towards the door, pulling slightly on his gloves as he contemplated Yazoo. The focus had sharpened. Good, he had his attention. He spoke softly, with a measured cadence.

"You know who I am. You know what I have done. While I may have convinced these _fools_ that I have changed..." He could feel his lips pull into an amused, smug smirk even as he tilted his head. "... I know, that you can feel my presence regardless of how hard I try to mask it. Like static. A restlessness in the air."

( _A bluff. Static was what it felt like for him, he had no proof the other felt the same. It was only proven by the slight widening of the remnant's eyes. Eyes that had undoubtedly held laughter as they executed Lisandra in the surveillance room. Dried tear tracks had been found on her face. Clearly they had gloated to mentally torture her before ending her life._ )

"You are a Remnant. I made you, to be a vessel of my rebirth. But as I am already here... I don't need you, now do I. I could simply tug, simply call Loz here, but you know how he gets, and I would much rather speak with him without these temporary measures trying to eavesdrop." Raul leaned forward, voice quiet as he let a smirk play about his face. "So tell me, Yazoo. _Where is Loz going._ "

Fists pounded against the barrier outside, dull thumps audible along with muffled, raised voices.

( _Holly had been the other staff member in the surviellance room. She had been found stretched out, hole blown out through the back of her head. Presumably, Yazoo had put the barrel in her mouth. The broken ribs and skin under her fingernails had proven that she had fought back. Or tried to, at least._ )

The remnant shrank back against the wall as malice seethed palpably through the air, jaw clenching, before he opened his mouth.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked." His eyes _hurt_. It felt as though he had spent far too long reading a book, and he tiredly reached up to rub them.

"I can't either. Reno said he should be here soon with your hair dye." Elena sat on the armchair, watching where the clone had slumped back on the couch in his rooms. "That was turk-worthy, I think. We caught all of what was said on the microphone, but you turned the camera away so we didn't get to see anything."

"There wasn't anything to see. Standard tactic. If the camera can't pick up what I do, then that indicates I am willing to do things that should not be caught on surveillance."

"Psychological warfare."

"Still, where did you get the coat on such short notice?" Said coat was draped over the table, leaving him shirtless as he went from rubbing his eyes to rubbing his temples. "I would have thought anything resembling Sephiroth would have long since been burnt."

"Umm... When you first got here, some people were dressing up to mock you in the barracks. We confiscated it, a wig and a foam sword." Elena smiled slightly as the clone huffed a soft laugh.

"I was unaware that they made wigs that long."

A knock on the door preceded Reno as the red-headed turk bustled his way in with a shopping bag. "Your savior has arrived! You owe me for this, bud."

* * *

He felt better once his hair was black. Elena had helped him dye his eyebrows while Reno made snide comments. Rude had arrived by then and relieved Elena as the clone wove the beads back through his bangs to weigh them down. It wasn't long before the report came back that they had located the cave system that Yazoo had divulged. Apparently, Vincent wanted to talk to him about it, and was waiting in the secondary debriefing room.

It was a short walk. He trusted the turks not to go through the contents of his room while he was gone the same way he trusted a cat not to knock a glass off of the edge of a table. It was fine, however. It wasn't as if he had anything to hide, and had long since resigned himself to whatever random configuration Reno planned to re-hang the pictures on his walls.

( _They meant well. They had meant well when they had called him out to lift a vehicle off of Elena. They had meant well when they had ambushed him with paintball guns. They probably meant well by trying to see how many colour pellets they could stuff into the shower head. He had seen the way Elena's eyes had guiltily glanced over towards his bathroom, after all._ )

Pushing the door to the debriefing room open, the clone stepped in and nodded politely towards the ex-turk that sat at the end of the table.

"Sit." A golden claw gestured to the empty chairs. Brows furrowing, Raul picked one and settled into it. "I want you to understand something."

The clone remained silent, waiting for Vincent to continue. He was familiar with needing a moment to choose the best way to say something, after all, and mentally braced for what it might have been.

( _Was what he had done in the cell considered out of line? He hadn't tortured, physically harmed, or even touched the remnant. He had barely threatened him._ )

"Lucrecia... Is inside that cave."

( _Wait, what?_ )

"She tried to kill herself, because she failed to protect her son. She was infected with Jenova cells, and unable to do so. She retreated to the cave, and sealed herself inside a mako crystal."

( _My mother-_ )

" _His_ mother, is still alive." Raul knew his face was carefully blank. There wasn't much he could do about it, even as he clasped his hands together and set them on the table. "You said that she had killed herself."

The ex-turk simply inclined his head. It was as good as a full nod from anyone else, and silence stretched between them.

( _He could see his Mother. His -real- Mother. He could ask her why **Hojo** , why had she agreed to bring him into the world at all, whether or not she had known what would happen. He always thought she must have, considering the reports he had been able to uncover indicated his exposure to Jenova had happened in the -womb- of all places. He could ask-_)

( _She had Jenova cells, too. Maybe... Maybe it had infected her, and turned **her** crazy, the same way **he** had been tainted._)

( _He wasn't Sephiroth, he was not the one that had burnt down the mansion._ )

"She knows that Sephiroth is dead. I... Do not think you should go."

The clone settled his gaze on the table. It was glossy enough that he could see his reflection, could pick out the glow of his own eyes.

"Why is it," He picked the words carefully, before continuing. "That everyone eventually lies to me."

"This does not make you special. Everyone lies and is lied to."

Raul found himself agreeing with that. At least it made him feel less personally betrayed.

* * *

Tseng still hadn't changed the start code for his car. The clone knew because it fired up once he punched it in, though the roar of the engine drowned out the sound of the trunk latch releasing. It was only when Raul put the car in reverse and twisted to back out that he caught sight of a tired looking Reno sitting on the back of the back seat, trunk open behind him as he sipped a chillaid juice bag.

"... Reno." Raul felt as though he had done a good job of keeping any signs of how he had almost proverbially leapt out of his skin out of his voice and posture. "What are you doing here."

"Dissuasion of Unlawful Theft duty. You?"

"Attempted Unlawful Theft."

"Look, bud, none of us here can actually -physically- stop you if you try and go, but we wanted to give you one last chance to change your mind. You've read everything we got on Deepground and Hojo's experiments." The turk sipped the juice box, elbows perched on his knees as if he was a teenage miscreant instead of a grown adult man. "Crescent's the first physically stable female with Jenova cells."

"You think... That instead of a Sephiroth clone, she might be a Jenova clone."

"Yep. You said you get static from bein' near the Remnants, so we're worried she might trigger something and make you go nuts. Cloud and co're up at the North Crater, trying to figure out what's going on. There's talk of the _Bad_ Sephiroth emerging soon, if the remnants get their hands on any of Jenova's cells." Reno's eyes wandered for a moment, trying to find an empty trash can within line of sight.

"Then we cannot allow Loz to get to his destination." The clone's eyes narrowed.

"Vincent's already gone ahead to head him off. You got nothin' to worry about. Hes turk-trained." Target acquired, and with a final slurp the red-head emptied the juice bag and crumpled it up, lobbing it in an easy arc into the trash. "Besides, what if Yazoo breaks out?"

"I have confidence that you and Rude would be able to handle the situation."

"What happened to all that 'unenhanced people are squishy' stuff you were spouting before, eh?" The turk looked back at him, grinning. "C'mon, Stephen. We need you here."

* * *

He wished he could say he had decided to stay. In the end, he had politely requested that Rude open the garage door and left them both shaking their heads as he drove off. There was no unnatural compulsion to go, he wasn't needed, and yet...

( _He would be stronger this time around. He wouldn't lose the way his past self had. He would prove, if only to himself, that he was stronger than that. This was just him... Protecting his honour. Soldier or not._ )

He had to go. He had to -know- if Vincent was right, if he could be a _better_ Sephiroth. It was the piece of the puzzle that was missing from Nibelheim.

The drive to Junon was uneventful. He was surprised to learn that passage was already booked for him on the ship, and the envelope with the tickets inside also bore the a letter detailing the rental parameters of one of Reno's chocobo's that had already been arranged for him in Costa del Sol. It also instructed him to leave the car behind, and he could see the wisdom in that considering he was going to have to traverse mountains. The unspoken support despite his decision to leave put a smile on his face.

He made good time after leaving Costa del Sol on the black chocobo that had inventively been named 'Coal'. The GPS on his phone helped him navigate, and it was two more long days of riding before something winged swooped down out of the sky. He had already drawn his sword and braced defensively on the chocobo before it touched down a short distance away and folded its wings. It seemed to wait for him to approached, and when he didn't skated along the ground to come closer.

"Raul." The name was rasped out, and it took the clone a moment to realize that without the rasping, almost burbling echo, it sounded like...

"... Mister Vincent?"

"You seem determined." Faintly glowing golden eyes narrowed. "Tseng called to say you were en route. You refuse to return?"

He nodded once, before the winged form shook its head and turned away, the appendages on its back unfolding and stretching out.

"Keep up, then."

* * *

It was... Beautiful. Growing greens framed by the blues and whites of the waterfalls. Rainbows formed by the light catching the spray in the air. The transformed turk folded his wings, a point of monstrosity in an otherwise peaceful-seeming area and gestured to where a post had been added that he could hitch his borrowed chocobo to before taking a few steps and settling into a floating skate towards the larger waterfall. It didn't take long for the clone to settle the bird and lay down some greens before following along.

He could feel it now. A faint tug on his consciousness, that wanted him to go into the cave. It reminded him of the Sleeping Forest, and all at once he balked.

"... You can always go back."

Turning, he followed Vincent's glowing gaze towards the chocobo, away from the pathway that led behind the waterfall, away from the subtle call. It was tempting.

( _He had to see her. Both of 'her'. His Mother, and his Mother._ )

( _He didn't remember who his mother was, but he was fairly certain she was neither a scientist nor a space parasite._ )

"I can, but I won't. I have to know. If... If I start raving about destroying the world..." Glowing green eyes met and held glowing gold, before the ex-turk nodded and hefted an unusual gun with a barrel shaped like a cross. A flick to the side and a quiet click, and the end of the barrel shimmered slightly. The clone was fairly certain that whatever 'ammunition' it took, it only required the gesture to reload.

"Did you mean it, when you said I could be a better Sephiroth?"

"Every word. That, is what makes you special."

The clone nodded, squared his shoulders and proceeded into the cave.


	12. Chapter 12

The pull became stronger the further in he got, and it was only a short, downward sloping tunnel that led to the main chamber. There was a moment where he could see all of it, from the sweeping pillars that supported the roof further in to the cavern and the large translucent mako crystal that sat in the center of a pool of faintly glowing water before his focus was stolen by the figure in the crystal.

He remembered...

( _Suspended in the tank, pale blue skin. The way the internal organs floated externally about her, all hooked to a heart beneath her a good four feet tall and three feet wide was disregarded and faded into the background as his eyes met hers, a pale glowing off-red with a feline slit of a pupil. She had called for him, her Son, Much Beloved and he was finally there. The odd triple thump of the enormous heart beat strongly through the chamber, through him, through to the very center of his being and somewhere it was being met with the horrified recoiling of his own essence as he tried to twist, tried to get away, leaving his body locked in silent contemplation. She smothered his complaints, and he knew it was already too late. She had always been with him, **inside**_ _him, and just as the metal casing had been her false face so too was he a false face for her **son** -_)

( _Green eyed, black haired. An odd combination, but his mother had always been proud of him. He had the eyes of a forest, she boasted, that went hard and dark as the shadows of the trees when he was angry and light and clear like new spring growth when he was happy. His hair was a reminder of his father, who had died overseas, but his mother loved him for it, helped him when he decided that, no, today he wanted it up in a ponytail. No, today he wanted it to hang in curtains around his face, like the Great Sephiroth! Mother laughed, and fetched her straightener. With enough hair spray, she promised, it might stay up all day but he had to promise to avoid the campfires in the canyon._ )

( _She chased him through his own mind, picking apart and subduing his resistance before recoiling as an enraged roar of his own rebounded through the vaulted chambers of his mind. He thought of Genesis, Angeal, of every soldier from first to third. She was **inside** them, too, but only superficially. An experiment. He could fix that, heal them. He had to defeat her, to get them away, to protect them. He had fire materia, he would burn burn **burn** this place to the ground, reduce her to slag and protect his own. Externally, he felt himself twitch, felt the blade pierce him from behind and the glass in front of him cracked. Pain disoriented him, distracted him and he felt his consciousness go under once more as the reflection, the copy, the **falsehood** flooded his system. It was made of -him-, produced by the selective promotion of certain memories and suppression of others and he felt the odd sensation of both being invader and invaded, before he felt his past die screaming. He didn't mourn it. He didn't need it. He had **Mother** -_)

( _He saw a picture once, of a woman attached to his file. Brown hair, tied up with a yellow ribbon. She had the saddest smile. He knew he couldn't ask Professor Hojo about her, because he hadn't been meant to see the file in the first place, but some times he dreamed of her..._ )

( _Blond hair, blue eyes. Not yet dead. He was strong, and he would swat this fly and then go to fetch the Soldier known as Fair. He would be the first of his new brothers. He raised his sword, before his muscles locked. His body refused to obey him! Impossible, he was the strongest! But that moment where his muscles had refused to move had been enough-_ _ **If I am to die, then I will at least take you with me!**_ _-Pain bloomed through him, and he staggered with the weight of the strike, slipping form the walkway. Impossible! His past was dead- He hit the lifestream, curling to protect Mother, and it **burned** -_)

Raul paused, mid-step. When had he started walking? He was up to his knees into the water, arms midway up as if he had been raising them towards the figure in the crystal.

( _He didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he was. He was injured, his head hurt and **safety** was that way- No, wait, how did he know that? How was -that- what he knew, when everything else was a twisted mess? Thinking hurt. Breathing hurt. The only thing that didn't hurt was **safety** and his mouth tasted vile. He was exhausted, and the heavy black robe he wore was too hot. Everything was too hot. He was burning, and the gentle rain felt cool against his face as he raised it. Cupping his hands, he drank the pooled water and felt renewed. The pain lessened, even **safety** **comehelpNOW** faded, though it still remained in the back of his head. It would rain for a good long while yet, and as wisps and streamers of dark grey drifted off of him he turned to put the call in his mind to his back. And it was **his** mind, undoubtedly. He planned to keep it that way this time, and squashed his own questions as he headed away from the fading compulsion._)

Blinking away after images, the clone turned and abruptly sloshed out of the water, shaking his head and scrubbing at his face. Memories came in waves, fragments knitting themselves together to form whole, cohesive situations. His skin crawled, and he grit his teeth against the way his head felt as though it threatened to split. He thought for a moment it would, that he would simply die. It was alright, he thought, if he did. Cloud and the others were still out there. Static filled his ears, and rage bubbled up within him.

( _ **No. Nobody is expendable. Nobody is replaceable.**_ )

Sucking in a breath, Raul blinked as the cacophony abruptly ceased. He was on his hands and knees, blinking down at the damp rocks as blood dripped from his nose. Power, old and familiar hummed through him. A hand settled on his shoulder, and when he looked it was covered with a black glove. The clone was kneeling in a field of flowers, inexplicably enough, surrounded by white mist. He could feel the sickness as it woke and tried to spread through him. He could feel how it was denied anything but the most tenuous of purchase. He could see how it had been subsumed once before, surrounded by the lifestream, usurped and repurposed. He felt the moment that control was returned to him, the delicate severing of genetic puppet strings.

"Took you long enough! I'd wondered when you'd come back, Seph!"

"Fair. We have work to do. He will have noticed my absence."

"Who are you...?" Raul couldn't lift his head further as he thickly managed to get words out, nausea roiling through him and threatening to pitch him into the white and yellow lilies as the hand on his shoulder steadied him.

"A Remnant of the Past." There was a private joke there, and the hand on his shoulder lifted. He could hear the footsteps as they passed him, caught sight of the edge of a long black leather coat edged with silver. "You _do_ have a choice, Soldier. This fact, is important. Will you fight? If so, why?"

"What kind of a questions are those?" The clone got his feet under him and pushed, standing and staggering as he grit his teeth. "I remember joining Soldier, you know. I wanted to fight to protect the world. I was going to change them from the inside out. I was going to save the planet."

"So you choose to fight?" He could feel the smile that came with those words.

"The only thing that's changed is my face, Sir."

"You have your orders then."

The white faded, and he wondered briefly if it had all been a dream as Raul looked around the cave. Vincent was floating a dozen or so feet away, gun trained on him. The pull to head back to the crystal, to crack it open and free Lucrecia and the infection that had spread through her was a faint pulse in the background, and easy enough to brush aside. Lifting a hand, he wiped at his nose and noted that it was still bleeding.

( ** _You will be MY living legacy. You will succeed where I_ _failed, Soldier. We will protect them, this time._** )

"How long have I been here?" Raul focused on the gunman, rubbing his temples. The beads clicked reassuringly with the motion, and knew his mother would have liked them.

"Six minutes."

"It... Feels like it was longer." He turned to look at the crystal, studied it, studied the form trapped within. Static rippled across his mind, and he knew that Loz was close. "I want to talk to Loz, before.. Hmm. Do you want to fight him, or shall I?"

* * *

Vincent stayed behind in the cave. They both agreed that, as he was beyond the parasite's reach, she couldn't force him to freeze in the event that she burst free of Lucrecia's restraint. Questioning the ex-turk's resolve to shoot the woman he still loved was moot. It was what she would have wanted, too.

It took longer than the clone expected, for the remnant to appear. Raul supposed that it was possible that he had been able to sense Loz from farther away. He would have to ask Reeve for a repeat of the blood tests, despite how he disliked needles.

"You- You took Brother!"

The clone sidestepped the burly remnant, spinning and swatting him across the back with the sheathed katana. "You are made from Sephiroth. Your only purpose, is to seek out Jenova cells to complete a transformation into the Destroyer. But it doesn't have to be."

"I want my Brother back!" Loz spun and lashed out with a kick that was caught against the sheath before staggering as he was pushed back.

"You aren't listening. If you follow this path, you will _die_."

* * *

Sephiroth - the corrupted, corroded part of him that was intent on becoming a god - had given him everything he needed without realizing it. He was weak, he was useless and if he moved too much he knew he would be found, torn out like a cancer and broken into countless pieces, and so he had long since simply decided to watch. He studied the method, how his will had overpowered the will of the parasite and how to reach out to those with similar cells before turning his attention back to the clone that hadn't made it through the sleeping forest to meet with the others in the northern crater. It had taken a number of small, subtle nudges along the journey to physically and genetically rebuild him, but the way his replacement had molded Jenova and ridden her body through the world had taught him well. He knew he was not alone in his efforts when a healing rain cascaded around the clone and suppressed the activity of the Jenova cells, disrupting his connection. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, he held his position.

Years later, he witnessed a similar healing rain as it healed Geostigma. It was a refined version, enhanced. One that cured and removed instead of simply rendered inert. He saw her, through the eyes of Kadaj as she extended her hand towards him. He knew she could see him, too, knew that her hand wasn't only extended towards the remnant, but... No. He couldn't. Not yet. He held out hope that his chosen clone had survived. If he had, he would be needed to cover the connection, to hide and smother it when it became active once more. Even if the clone hadn't survived, perhaps he could turn one of the remnants against the others.

She had smiled at him, understanding written in her eyes.

He had felt both Loz and Yazoo's confused surprise, intercepted it and stolen it for himself. It wasn't much, but anything that he could safely do to disrupt his replacement's efforts he chose to undertake. If he'd had a mouth to smile with, he probably would have as he saw his own face through their eyes. Round, human pupils. Black hair, with beads that pulled his bangs down did little to hide his own visage. The jaw and nose were unmistakable.

All that was left, was to see what choice the clone would make. If he chose to fight -for- the world-eater, then he would pull himself together and attempt to destroy him from the inside out. If he chose not to, then it was just a matter of imparting his knowledge and seeing how it all turned out.

The remnant of the Sephiroth that had hated paperwork, endured pranks and mourned the loss of his friends settled in to watch and wait for the opportune moment.

He was not disappointed.

* * *

Raul was running out of ways to try and convince the remnant, and decided to switch tactics. "Loz, don't you want to live? Enjoy this world, enjoy playing with the creatures that live within it?"

"What would -you- know about that! You lied to me! You hurt my Brother!" The remnant blurred, leaving behind a tracery of silver-blue as he bolted forward and then slammed a fist into the ground. It sent a shockwave of earth rumbling forward that the clone nimbly kicked off the ground and sailed over. Touching down, Loz swept in with a series of heavy, fast punches aimed for his stomach, ribs and then face. Raul blocked the first and last ones, twisting and shifting aside to get clear of the others.

"Yazoo is being lied to as well! Sephiroth wants to kill _everything_ , and then there won't be anything left to play with! How did you think he planned to travel between the stars, Loz?"

The remnant hesitated slightly, before growling and simply laying into the clone with renewed vigor. The right cross was deflected, the left avoided entirely though the roundhouse kick sent him staggering. He caught himself by planting the sheathed katana against the ground and using it to brace himself as he came around and reached out, catching the next punch with his hand and gritting his teeth against the electricity that crackled down his arm. The impact had _hurt_.

"You saw it, when Sephiroth took Kadaj away from you and Yazoo. You saw how Cloud fought him, and how at the end Sephiroth abandoned your brother and left him to die. Cloud -caught- Kadaj before he hit the ground. He wanted to help him. You know that Sephiroth will do that with Yazoo next, or even yourself, and when you're of no more use to him, he will abandon you too. I want to help you. I want to make sure that you don't disappear, Loz. You, and your brother Yazoo."

* * *

The information was compacted and fed into the clone on a genetic level. There was no need for a learning period. Just as Kadaj had never needed to practice to learn how to use a sword, Raul would simply know how to do what was needed. That was the theory, at least. The Remnant of the Past studied the field of flowers, a mindscape in the Lifestream, and wondered at how it remained safe from the infection that sickened the planet and had stolen the lives and minds of his Soldiers. It was... Strange, for his consciousness to have manifested a form. At least, it was strange to him. Zack didn't seem to be too bothered by it as he lounged in among the flowers.

"Your own living legacy, huh?"

"I never said that all of your ideas were bad." Leather creaked as both Soldiers looked at each other, before the black haired Zack Fair burst into easy laughter. The sound drew a small smile from the fragment. He wished he could bask in the moment, however... "... He is planning to leave the planet soon."

"What? He'll tear it all apart! You said you have a plan?"

"Two-fold. My clone will do what he can to draw the usurped parasite's focus. Tell me, if materia is the condensed knowledge of the ancients and the lifestream is the living memory, would there be enough raw material between the mastered materia that exists to bolster the planet, to sustain it through such a loss?"

"Maybe." Her voice was as sweet as he remembered it, and Aerith smiled at him from where she had knelt down to inspect some of the flowers. "It's the summons that might make the biggest difference."

"If, similar to how plants propagate, spread and then are returned to the planet, the living were able to cultivate master materia and return them to the lifestream, do you believe that it would be possible to eventually close the gap on what remains?" A silver brow was quirked, and it felt... Odd, to be able to make facial expressions again. She pursed her lips, looking thoughtful even as she slowly nodded.

"But... There's certain materia that need to stay where they are. The protomateria, for example."

"Created by the planet in a bid for longevity, to ward off a weapon of it's own design. Raul learned that Chaos is born of corrupted life stream. Could it be utilized to devour the Jenova cells?"

Aerith shook her head, frowning. "I think... It's too damaged to be able to. When it was removed from it's birthplace, it was still forming. This means that its physical essence and mental essence were separated, the former stolen before the latter could connect to it."

"This leaves your Gospel as the most effective method of destroying Jenova cells. Alternatively, with the genetic manipulation that Jenova cells are capable of, it may be possible to cause them to overwrite themselves, cause them to alter their own structure so that they bolster and restore the life stream, as opposed to corrupt and taint it. This method worked on Raul, as he has rejected the call of the Reunion twice now."

"Wait, Seph, that's what you did?" Zack sat up, blinking.

The Remnant of the Past folded his arms and looked away, studying the mist as it swirled. "... I gave him back his ability to choose, and the ability to grant others this option as well."

* * *

They were staring at each other. Loz kept the pressure against the clone's hand steady, studying and searching Raul's features. He looked over at the cave, and then back at the clone before his face twisted into an upset, confused expression and he stepped back. "You... You want to help us...? You... Want us to live?"

"Of course, Loz."

"I wanna see my brother." The remnant folded his arms, pouting and staring defiantly at Raul, who nodded.

"I can arrange that. But I can't bring him here. It's dangerous. Come with me?"

The clone extended his hand, and was relieved when he could feel Loz push aside the call coming from within the cave with a nod.


	13. Chapter 13

One earbud in, Raul called the one person he thought might be in a position to help. She -did- have a tendency to take in orphans, after all, and on the second ring it picked up.

"Tifa. I have... Something I need to ask you." He could feel the eyes of the remnant on his back as Loz eavesdropped from atop the chocobo. So long as he didn't try and steal the black bird, Raul had no problem letting him ride it, and at the start had even managed a smile at the youthful glee as the remnant urged the beast to run in circles, hop, spin and sprint short distances. One patient conversation later about stamina, conserving energy and how it meant that he could play with the chocobo again -later- had Loz perched placidly atop the beast, periodically ruffling the feathers of its crest.

_"I heard from Vincent. He's with you, isn't he?"_

"He is." Briefly, he wondered just how sensitive the remnant's hearing was. Probably enhanced, just the same with everything else. "He wants to see his brother. Can you set up a location while we get back to Costa del Sol? I need to return Reno's chocobo, and plan to drive Tseng's car back from Junon."

 _"Cloud doesn't like_ it."

"He will like it less when I talk to him about the voice in my head. I want to help them, to find a way that will let them live without harming others or having them find themselves being hunted down. Sephiroth is using them, and he knows it." Raul felt like he could hear the fighter wince.

_"They kidnapped Marlene a while ago. Barret won't like it either."_

"If I recall correctly, Reeve did as well, did he not? I am certain they will apologize for their behavior." The clone turned to stare at Loz, stressing the need for him to apologize. "After all, kidnapping people is bad, but kidnapping children is even worse. Isn't it, Loz."

The remnant sulked.

_"... It sounds like a work in progress."_

"It is, but can that not be said for life in general? If kidnapping children is all you know, then it's simply a matter of learning other things."

_"I'll see what I can do. Yazoo's been pretty well behave-"_

"I wanna see my brother!" Loz had leaned over to try and speak into the microphone, which really only resulted in practically shouting in Raul's face. "Is he okay? Is he getting enough food? He doesn't always eat enough, and if you're being -mean- to him-"

"Loz, I can't hear what she's saying." The clone leaned away, cupping his hand over his ear and frowning.

_"He's fine. I'll send a picture if I can."_

The remnant's face lit up.

* * *

_"When you say he's going to distract Sephiroth, what d'you mean?"_

_Zack was doing squats a short distance away. The remnant of the past almost felt tired watching him. Almost._

_"The remnants were created, as representations of specific parts of Sephiroth, and made manifest. They are thoughts given physical form. The only concept of family that they have is one another, with Sephiroth loosely somewhere at the top with Jenova. Shinra mentioned in a conversation with Cloud that Kadaj was afraid that he was afraid that Jenova would choose Sephiroth over him, which means they have no more of an understanding as to what a family should be than I did."_

_"So... He's going to adopt them?" Aerith smiled slightly._

_"After a fashion. He has a number of examples to choose from. As they are physical manifestations of Sephiroth, most of the work has been done for us. If each of them can make their own decision, and still manage to choose not to kill everybody on the planet, then even if he should recall them and reabsorb them they will disrupt and fight him from within."_

_"Man, you're turning him against himself." The remnant frowned at the black haired Soldier, clasping his hands behind his back,_

_"Not quite, but that is what I hope he will believe. With Raul confusing the remaining remnants, he will be busy attempting to keep them in line. Meanwhile I intend to capitalize on the reunion theory."_

_"Confusion to the enemy! Second part of your two-fold plan?" Zack grinned._

_"As we discussed, it should be possible to... Decompress the lifestream held within materia. With his attention elsewhere, I may be able to contact people and ask them to release their materia. If they agree, I will attempt to have them contact the WRO. If they do not, I will at least have had the chance to alter the Jenova cells within them, so that they retain the ability to choose."_

_"Sounds risky for you. Didn't you say you couldn't beat him?" His friend frowned at him, and the remnant of the past nodded slowly in agreement._

_"Not alone, at the very least. This, is why I have come before you both today."_

* * *

It was decided that they would meet up a few hours outside of Junon, and although Loz was sad to see the chocobo go he got a book on how to raise and train them to occupy him for the boat ride across. The clone was content to let him discover the world of chocobo racing, breeding, their dietary needs, exercise routines, everything considering it meant that Loz was just that little bit more inclined to protect living things.

He didn't quite follow the concept of -paying- for things, however, so after the second unintentional attempted robbery Raul started working with a basic allowance structure. For every hour that the remnant wasn't breaking things or causing people pain (accidental or otherwise) he earned ten gil that he could spend on really anything he wanted.

Sleeping didn't count. He made sure to include that, though he was just as content to have Loz sleep if it meant he was less likely to cause a scene. It was harder to do in the car considering it was a smaller space, and he had to be a lot more careful with it. The last thing he wanted was for Tseng to hold it against him if something happened to it, and he relied heavily on the patience born of standing in line during inspections when he had been a Shinra cadet.

It was nice, to have his own memories back. Even if they were still a little spotty. It was better than having to reject every memory that surfaced strictly on the basis of knowing for a fact they weren't his own. He made a mental note to see if any of his relatives were still alive when he had the chance.

Loz was certainly a fountain of information on his own siblings, and seemed perfectly capable and content to fill the hours of silence with chatter. He was excited to meet up with his brother again. They were all left handed, was he? He was and he wasn't, being born right handed but then waking up left handed. Now, he supposed he was ambidextrous. Which was cool, apparently, and doubly cool when he pointed out that as someone who technically fought with -two- weapons, so was Loz to at least some degree.

He was thankful he had spent time practicing his networking and communication skills in the WRO base. If he had gotten stuck with Sephiroth's abilities in that regard, he might never have gotten through the trip to the designated meeting spot. The remnant was still talking, even as they got out of the car, though for now the topic seemed to have cycled back around to chocobo's.

( _Was Brother really part chocobo?_ )

( _No, Loz, regrettably Cloud was not part chocobo._ )

Yazoo sat with his hands still encased in a block of cement, staring out at the two of them as they approached. Cloud was there, along with Tifa, Yuffie, Reeve ( _A robot. He could hear the whirring of servos coming from it as it turned to greet them._ ) and Red XIII. They were all armed, cautious and wary, but Loz behaved and strayed no more than a few feet away from Raul, and silence reigned for a long moment before the clone stepped forward.

"Thank you, for letting Loz see his brother. I understand that tensions are high on all sides. I have a proposition."

"Can I go to my Brother?" Loz fidgeted, before sulking as Raul shook his head.

"Not yet, Loz. Soon, hopefully." The clone looked back at the others before sighing. "I believe if they were given proof of the truth, both Loz and Yazoo would no longer be considered enemies. It is my hope, that we will all be able to fight for the survival of the planet. I was right, to go to the cave. While I believe that my Jenova cells have been reactivated, I also believe they have evolved and altered themselves. I would appreciate it if Mister Reeve took a small number of blood samples from me to determine if my theory is correct. Are you willing to do this?"

"It will take time to run the tests, but of course. How are you holding up, though?" Reeve frowned, stepping forward and tilting his head to the side. "Active Jenova cells is generally a bad thing, but you seem... Unruffled. Calm about it."

"I haven't gained any new compulsions to go around slaughtering people, although I feel a slight spike of interest when I face north. None of my views on whether or not this planet is worth protecting have changed. I have taken this as a good sign, although I am still cautious and wary of any voices in my head. Currently, at present there are none. However, when I went to the cave, there were three distinct voices. Presumably, Jenova was one of them. They were... Difficult to distinguish, as I gained and regained a number of memories while I was there. I am still sorting through them." Raul smiled slightly, before shaking his head. "But that is a matter for another day. Today, I would like to ensure that Yazoo and Loz are fully aware of the truth of their situation."

The clone turned towards Yazoo. "I have already mentioned as much to Loz, but I wish to confirm whether or not you already know a number of things. Remnants, are Sephiroth's will made manifest. Puppets, who's only purpose is to find Jenova cells and absorb them, to allow Sephiroth the opportunity to be reborn. I say this without malice. You were looking for Kadaj, because he is your Brother, and I have an idea as to where he is. Cloud... Does not have him."

"You know where Brother is?" Loz perked up, before scowling and clenching his fists. "You hid him from me! You-"

"I wanted to tell both you, and Yazoo, at the same time. You would have gotten sad, if you had to wait the trip here to be able to tell your Brother, correct?" Raul smiled slightly at the burly remnant who, after a moment, deflated and nodded. "Now that you both are together, I can go into more detail. Cloud, you were there when Kadaj died, correct?"

The blond swordsman nodded, folding his arms.

"He went with Aerith, didn't he. He let go of his anger, and dispersed into the lifestream peacefully as the rain purified him of Jenova cells." The clone sighed as Cloud nodded once more. "I thought as much."

"Where is your proof." Yazoo leaned forward, cement block on his lap as he crossed his feet at the ankle.

"Before, you could not find a connection. I have one, now. I misled you to find out where Loz was going, but not by much." Tapping his head, Raul stepped forward and clasped his hands behind his back. "I can show you, if you allow me to."

* * *

_"I think... Your plan might work. But there are a few problems with it." Aerith smoothed out her dress as she stood up, only to clasp her hands and look towards the Remnant of the Past. "How would we force him to leave before he was ready? Jenova needed a physical object to travel the stars."_

_"The planet has a weapon capable of interstellar flight. Two of them, in fact. Omega, and Chaos. You believe that Chaos is out of commission, and by all accounts Hojo's attempt to hijack Omega and sail the cosmos in that fashion has also been thwarted, however... If it was able to produce a third weapon, capable of this feat, it would be able to transport the Jenova cells into the sun, whereupon they would be destroyed."_

_"Seph, the planet can't just make Weapons. They take a lot of Lifestream, and even making one more Weapon would put Gaia almost critically low on reserves. There's just not enough left." Zack sat up, popping out of the flowers with a concerned look, before it deepened. "But... You know that already, don't you. You've got an idea about what could be used."_

_"I do." The Remnant of the Past met his gaze calmly as Aerith looked back and forth between the two._

* * *

Yazoo sat back in the chair, expressionless. Sephiroth had known what would happen, and had abandoned his vessel, Kadaj, before death could weaken his mind. _Sephiroth_ wanted to sail the planet through the cosmos, as a god. **_Sephiroth_** didn't like competition, and had subsumed Mother's will. At the end of the day, Sephiroth wanted only Sephiroth to remain, while all else faded into ash, consumed as fuel for his conquest of the stars in search of a Promised Land that wasn't even real, that was a personally subjective experience.

Loz had seen everything too, and had sat down on the ground to have a good cry. The clone had offered him a handkerchief, and the burly remnant had taken it.

"It's normal to cry, when you feel betrayed." Was all he had said, before moving away to give the two brothers space.

Could the memories have been faked? Yazoo snapped his gaze to where Raul was speaking quietly with the other members of his little group of friends, and the slender remnant strained his hearing to make out what they were saying.

 _"... Are people too. They have been hurt by him, just as much as we have._ _"_ That was the brown haired girl that had fought Loz in the church. Yazoo frowned, indignation building at perceived pity. _"I want to help them. Maybe we can get them back on their feet, you said that Loz likes chocobo. We could show them where they can catch chocobo's and a chocobo lure. They're both strong, it wouldn't take much for them to get their own business going."_

_"If they don't want to wrangle chocobo's, I feel confident that anything they set their mind to - be it monster hunting, gardening, or even should they want to take up a career in construction they will do well. I don't yet know what Yazoo might wish to spend his time on. I haven't had the chance to ask."_

Indignation evaporated. It wasn't pity, he realized. They weren't going to have their hands held, treated as if they couldn't do anything. They were going to be given the tools they needed to work out their own future. All at once, Yazoo realized that despite the fighting, despite everything they had done, it wasn't them against the world any more. How hard, he wondered, had Raul worked to make a place for himself? A space he was offering to share with them? Looking down at his hands, he flexed and pulled, cracking the concrete and shaking his hands to shed the dust.

A shared glance with Loz, a brief mental back and forth that was more emotion, concept and instinct, and a nod from each of them had them both back on their feet as the clone approached them. There was nothing hostile to his stance, he simply... Stood there, and tilted his head.

"We're... Sorry, that we kidnapped Marlene and Denzel." The words came softly from the slender remnant, as Loz nodded rapidly beside him. "And the other children."

"Forgiveness is not something that happens overnight. As with everyone, it must be worked for. If you could choose anything, what would you choose to do with your time?" Raul smiled softly.

* * *

Raul stretched out on the couch in his rooms, sighing. He had a headache-

( ** _You did_ _well._** _)_

The clone's eyes snapped open.

( ** _Thank you, for giving them the chance to choose._** )

The silence stretched on, and his headache eased.


	14. Chapter 14

Tifa looked over at the door as someone softly knocked, before looking at the time. Quarter to eleven. Who else would be up at this time of night? Still, they wouldn't come to her unless it was important, so she closed her book and got up to answer it.

Glowing green eyes peered at her as she leaned to peer through the peephole.

Hmm.

"Raul." Tifa managed a smile as she opened the door. "It's late. What's wrong?"

"May I come in? I am... Concerned."

"Of course." The fighter stepped back, frowning at the Clone as he crossed the threshold and then looked around.

"... The turks have not bugged your apartment."

"They bugged yours?"

Raul nodded, before moving towards one of the wooden chairs at the table in the kitchen area, sitting down heavily and sighing. "It's... Okay. They were listening and watching from the start. I do not mind it, however... Privacy is something I would like, every now and then."

"How can you tell?" Tifa bustled around, starting to prepare some tea before glancing over as his head hit the table with a quiet thump.

"Electronics have their own humming buzz. I can ignore it, for the most part. There is no such thing as true silence, after all."

She nodded at that, though her frown lingered. Setting a cup in front of him, she tucked a teabag into it and went back to mind the kettle. "You said you were concerned? What's wrong?"

"I promised I would report to you should I begin hearing voices. There is only one that has made a repeated attempt to contact me. He... Does not tell me to kill, he simply thanked me for giving the Remnants the chance to choose. I believe his is the voice that protected me, from Jenova, but... I am leery of him, still. Telepathy is abnormal, and I am still coming to terms with this... Connection, to the Remnants." Lifting his head somewhat, the clone shifted to wrap his hands carefully around the mug as Tifa approached and started to pour hot water into it. "... May I speak freely?"

"Of course." She poured herself a mug, before setting the kettle aside on a pat and dunking a teabag into her own cup. Her frown returned as she watched his pupils shift, going form round to slits.

"My strength... Scares me. If I am not constantly mindful of myself, I could very easily accidentally break this mug. Or the chair. After the cavern, I became... Stronger. There is... Knowledge, that should I focus I can access that I do not recall learning. Should I wish to, I believe I could very easily lift things with my mind. This... Excess of power... It too, scares me. It is very easy to see why Sephiroth believed himself to be a monster, once he learned the truth of his origins, with powers that set him apart from the rest of the world. Who is there, who could understand such things? Many might profess to, but without the inherent ability to do produce the same effect... Their attempts to appease ring hollow." Raul's expression twisted into a bitter grimace, as if he had tasted something he disliked. "... I must sound like an adolescent, a child, going through a rebellious self-centered phase."

"No, not really. Though, that might be because when kids enter that phase, they don't talk about it. They believe it's them against the world." The fighter managed a smile, before stirring her tea for a moment. "You're right, I don't know what that's like. But... Everyone wants to be understood by others, even if it's only a little. And if they don't think anyone can, they recoil, and any progress towards that understanding gets lost, because they don't talk about it. They don't even try."

"I'm trying."

"I know." Tifa reached forward, resting a hand on the clone's wrist and patting him gently. "And... I know what part of that is like. After we fought Sephiroth, it took a little bit to get back to being used to regular life. I don't know how many plates and glasses I broke at the bar, but I know I started getting cheaper ones because I couldn't afford the more expensive ones."

"... I don't know what I'm doing, Tifa." The words were soft, and he sighed before stirring his tea and carefully removing the teabag. "I want to protect this planet, the planet my Mother loved-"

Tifa winced, but didn't interrupt. Hearing the word 'Mother' with his voice brought back too many memories.

"-and the only way I can think of how to do that is to try and purge Jenova and Sephiroth from the Lifestream, but how. _How_. How do I remove this infection? How deep does it go? I would take a strainer and leap into a pool of mako if it was as simple as skimming the debris off of the top, but... It is more complicated than that-" Raul winced slightly, letting go of the mug to rub his temples, before gritting his teeth. "... He says he will take care of that, but do I dare trust a voice with no external source? Am I to be constantly under observation, no matter where I go? He was so real, when I stood before him..."

"Raul... Hey, it's okay. We'll figure this out. I won't say not to worry, because we've got a ways to go yet but... You're not alone. We all want to protect this planet. Even Loz and Yazoo now, thanks to you. We'll go and talk to Reeve about it in the morning, okay?"

The clone nodded slowly, before closing his eyes against the sight of his own reflection, staring up at him from his mug of tea.

* * *

 _Loz_ wanted to catch, train, breed and raise chocobo's. They were strong beasts, fast, and came in as many temperaments and varieties as people. There were even rumours that you could get cosmetically different chocobo's that were just as strong as any of the standard colours. _Loz_ was excited about the prospect of heating closer to Kalm.

 _Yazoo_ was being a big spoil sport, because even after thinking about it for a while the slender remnant didn't know what he wanted to do, only that he grudgingly admitted that he wanted to look fabulous as he did it, and was being a big ol' party pooper with his frowny face and... And...

The burly remnant blinked at the magazine in his hands. The answer was right there in front of him. A grin split his face, and he turned to rush towards his brother where Yazoo was languidly staring out the window.

* * *

"Your test results came in." Raul quirked a brow. He'd had the sneaking suspicion that was why he had been called to the meeting room, and nodded towards Actual Reeve to indicate he should continue. "You were right. Your Jenova cells are active, but... Acting unusual. They've found a balance with the rest of you, and aren't aggressively reproducing."

"... It seems fitting, to liken Jenova to space cancer." The clone rubbed his temples, before shaking his head. "Are there any other changes?"

"Yes. During the blood tests, some of them seemed to be attempting to mimic standard human white and red blood cells. It's why the testing took so long, since I think the record before they reverted was almost an hour. They weren't all changing at the same time, either."

"... He says that this is to be expected, and that I was subconsciously practicing, it seems."

"Ahh, yes, the... Voice, of this Remnant of the Past." Reeve sat down, before closing the folder with the blood test results and sighing as he slid it down the table. "I told Cloud, by the way, about the field of flowers you found yourself in. I think he wants to talk to you about it, but it seems he's familiar with it. He reluctantly admitted that it was Aerith's garden."

"She was there. There was also a man with long, spikey black hair." Raul narrowed his eyes. "... It will be a very awkward conversation, but I will seek him out."

"He should return from his run to Edge the day after tomorrow."

"No. I said that I will seek him out, and I plan to. There are... Some things that I need to test, as well."

Reeve wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that, but nodded amiably regardless as the clone collected the folder from the table and turned to head for the door.

* * *

He peered over the edge of the roof, and frowned. If this didn't work... Well, for starters it would hurt. Raul had never before tested just how many feet he could fall before he broke a bone, but it seemed like something he might need to know and Sephiroth was known for having a wing. Black, feathered and slender, sprouting from his back. Another moment of contemplation had the clone stripping to the waist.

( _Did his 'Extra Friend' have any advice?_ )

( ** _You already know how to brace yourself after falling from a great_ _height. The wing was manifested by the -other-._** )

( _Useful, but not quite the advice he was asking for._ )

He tried meditation first. Visualization came second, which... Also did nothing. Bundling his shirt and scarf up, he stuffed them into the bag and stuck his arm through the loops to secure it against his chest before taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly. So what if there was no wing, he thought to himself. He wasn't jealous because of how cool it looked. No sir.

He really hoped that the incessant, nagging feeling that he could fly was one of Jenova's attempts to put him out of commission. Still, just in the off chance that it was he made sure that when he took a running leap off of the roof of the WRO compound, he wasn't about to go sailing over the cliff. He knew he could run, he knew he could move quickly, even if he didn't manage to fly he should make it roughly the same time he would have by driving. He touched down just outside of the wall that surrounded the WRO's compound, glanced back, before gathering himself and starting to run.

He didn't make it near as far as he would have liked, and as he lay stretched out in the grass all wobbly legged he resigned himself to largely using the excess of speed for short boosts. Reno was on his way with Tseng's car, though it would be a few minutes before he got there. Still, he wasn't entirely certain as to why he was so tired-

Pain burst across his back, and the clone heaved himself over even as he hissed in pain. There was no blood, but he felt like he was going to burst from the pressure, before it relieved itself. Two flumps, one on either side were met with a third as he dropped from his hands and knees onto his stomach, panting for breath.

( ** _Not jealous, hmm?_** )

"Shut... Up..."

* * *

"It makes sense. When we fought Sephiroth in the Crater, he had a number of wings." Tifa frowned, looking down at the picture on her cellphone. "And Reno says that he admitted to trying to see if he could form a wing."

"Here it is." Reeve surfaced from the filing cabinet, holding up the folder in question before the fighter snagged it and started to flip through it quickly, setting it down on the desk as she did.

"Genesis, black primary left wing. Angeal, white primary and secondary right wings. Why were his white?"

"The last time he fought Cloud, Sephiroth manifested a black primary right wing." Tuesti retrieved a handful of other folders, and spread them out as he started to flip through them. "Let's look for simiarities between Angeal and Sephiroth. If we can discern why they both manifested wings on their right side, we can determine why Raul manifested his the way they did."

"Well, so far we have evidence at least that more than one wing isn't that much of an abnormality. I'll look for similarities between Genesis and Sephiroth, to try and see why their wings were the colour they were." Tifa shifted around the desk, tugging some of the open folders towards her as she quickly read through them.

"Many hands make light work, after all." Reeve smiled, before focusing on the task at hand.

* * *

"You gunna stop sulking?" Reno grinned as the clone humph'f and adjusted his scarf.

"I am not sulking."

"You are. Take it from a professional sulker. You look like Loz." The turk's grin widened, glancing at the rear view mirror to watch Raul, finding how the clone wrestled with the wings and tried to stuff them against his back and 'out of the way' failed when he inevitably leaned back against them, squishing them against the back of the seat. "No, really. It's all in the brows and lips."

"I imagined they would be... Bigger. These are more suitable for gliding, than flying." Raul was briefly distracted by the text he received, frowning at the diagram that Reeve had sent to him. "Flight muscles... This explains why they are unwieldy. They likely are not anchored properly."

"Why'd you even want them? You're your own person, bud."

"If I am to be stuck with this face, with these powers, then I have chosen to accept them. Embrace them, even, and I wish to learn how to use them to their full potential." The clone peered down at his chest contemplatively. "Besides, is it not poetic that I use the very gifts of the parasite to defeat it? It is my will, to prove that no matter what something looks like, they do not have to be a monster. They can become so, but it is wholly a choice of their own to make."

"Admit it, you thought they were cool!"

Raul reached forward to lightly swat at the back of the turk's head, and Reno laughed as he ducked out of the way in time.

* * *

_"So far, the only correlation between the side the wing manifests on and the person they manifest on that we can find is that Genesis and Sephiroth were both Southpaws."_

"Southpaws?" Raul blinked, hand cupped over the receiver to both muffle the sound of the wind and the engine, before he blinked and huddled. Largely brown feathered wings spread and folded in front of him, blocking most of the wind effectively.

 _"Left handed."_ That was Tifa, in the background, and papers shuffled for a moment before Reeve continued. _"Angeal was right handed. You marked down in your file that you are equally proficient with both hands?"_

"I am, although I was right handed as a child. The Sleeping Forest, however, is when that changed." His chest -itched-, and as he glanced down he could see some of his muscles shifting and adjusting. Grimacing, he tried to put it out of his mind as he focused on the phone call. "There is a delay, between when I attempt to alter myself and when the alterations occur. It seems to be roughly half an hour, and each time I get hungrier and my exhaustion deepens."

 _"That might be why you have one on each side. Also, your body must be drawing on your reserves to build mass where you want it to. How much food do you have?"_ Tuesti seemed to have handed the phone off to the fighter, as paperwork was shuffled in the background.

"None. I ate the food I packed with me. I plan to eat at the WRO outpost in Kalm." He hadn't even tasted it, and Reno had sacrificed the fruit roll down he had brought with him, too.

_"We think it has to do with the mutability of the Jenova cells, although we're not scientists. We've called Shelke for her opinion and she should be here shortly. Meanwhile, we're still going over what we have of Hollander's research. I don't think we have to be worried about degradation, considering Sephiroth never had to contend with it but..."_

"But he was not a clone, and those injected with Jenova cells tend to degrade faster. If my hair ever begins to turn silver grey, I will let you know." The clone smirked slightly, shifting his wings slightly to peer through them and check on their surroundings.

_"Raul, that's not funny!"_

"On the contrary, I believe it is. My case seems the most similar to that of Genesis, after all. A human-parasite hybrid's cells were injected into me. I doubt I will fall prey to degradation, however, if only because my condition seems stable. Even should the process begin, neither Genesis nor Angeal had the ability to willingly alter their own cellular structure."

 _"And you do?"_ Reeve's voice that time. The clone hummed in response.

"I am practicing. My... Benefactor, has passed what he has gleaned from Sephiroth to me. I should be able to maintain my own stability provided I do not run out of resources." Raul stifled a yawn, before checking his surroundings once more. "Reno, how long until we reach Kalm?"

"Few hours. Rude's already there, he took a helicopter. Gunna pick me up, then the car's yours again!"

"Much obliged." The wings shuffled together once more, blocking the rest of the wind. "We arrive in Kalm within a few hours. Can you arrange for the WRO outpost to have food prepared? I would prefer healthy options, but I will take what I can get."

_"Tifa's got my phone and already placing the call. Are you sure you don't want a Cait Sith? I've theorized a compound alloy that will hopefully make them more durable."_

"My cellphone already has a GPS tracker and a turk bug. I firmly believe it would be overkill."

Reeve laughed, before they said their goodbyes and disconnected the call.


	15. Chapter 15

Cloud was waiting for them when they got out of the car, and Raul braced for the inevitable comment about the wings. None were forthcoming, however, and as such the two of them headed into the base as Reno waved goodbye and headed up to the landing pad where his partner waited to fly him back to the WRO compound. Both of them settled into the briefing room as some of the staff members gawked at the clone who had already started to dig into one of the stacked pizza's waiting for him.

Some of them had peppers. It seemed they had ordered a variety, uncertain as to what he might like. He couldn't complain too much, considering his stomach had started to physically hurt. Raul still made the attempt to eat at a steady pace, instead of wolfing everything down as quickly as he could. He even invited the dozen members of the WRO to snag some slices for themselves, and ended up networking and socializing as he slowly worked his way through the food on hand. All in all, it only took half an hour before the staff members had left to head back to their own jobs throughout the building, leaving Cloud as the only other person in the room.

"... Tifa said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes. I am... Still hesitant to trust the vision I experienced in the cave. I was informed that you were familiar with it." One of the left over bottles of orange crunch sat nearby, and Raul reached over to pick it up and carefully unscrew the lid. "Aerith, Zack and the Remnant of the Past were there. I was curious as to your opinion, on whether or not I was hallucinating and if I should trust what I saw there."

"What did it feel like?" Cloud rested his elbows on the table, watching clone and frowning as the wings shuffled and tucked against his back. The clone blinked, picking up his now filled glass and taking a sip as he thought about it.

"It was... Gentle, if I had to describe it. Peaceful is close, but mostly... Gentle. Even the thought of violence or harsh movements seems impossible to conceptualize in that space."

"Then it was real. I know how hard that feeling is to describe." The blond swordsman leaned back in his chair, slumping. "I saw her in that place, a few times. She told me not to give up. If Sephiroth was there, it's because she invited him. Zack will protect her, if it comes to it."

"Everything felt... Very real, yet inexplicably dream-like." Raul set his cup down, idly sliding it back and forth between his hands. Cloud nodded slowly, before frowning once more.

"Wings are _his_ thing."

"I think they look cool." The clone lifted his chin, letting the extra appendages stretch out and flex. He was getting the hang of them, and they were comfortably warm against his back. His pocket buzzed, and Raul blinked before digging it out and answering it. "Besides, if I can fly Tseng will be able to stop worrying about his car. Reeve, did you learn anything new?"

_"Well... Yes, but do you know anything about a mass materia donation?"_

* * *

The drive back was uneventful. Raul spent it with his focus split between following far enough behind Cloud to avoid pinging stray rocks off of Tseng's car, and the other half trying to get his wings to disappear and grimacing at the horrible molting feeling that seemed to have been extended over the course of several hours that came with his efforts. Fortunately, it seemed more as if it was only the feathers were falling off while the rest melded unnaturally into his back, though he still felt bad for the car. Doubly so when the blond swordsman seemed disinclined to stop for the night, and they continued through until they arrived in the wee hours of the morning, where Reeve greeted them with coffee.

"You made good time."

"The roads tend to generally be clear between here and Kalm." The clone accepted the coffee gratefully, sipping and humming quietly. "The most disappointing part of it was your discovery."

"Yo bud! Oh man, Tseng's gunna lose his cool when he sees this." Reno ambled over, grinning at the mass of feathers in the back seat of the car, lifting his phone and snapping a few pictures.

"I'll clean them out. I just got here, and haven't had a chance to yet." Raul stretched, before turning to focus on where Tuesti had drawn Cloud away and was speaking quietly with him.

_"... ink it might be related to Aerith?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"They said we'd know what to do with them."_

Hmm. The clone tilted his head before looking at the red-headed turk that was ambling around the car to take pictures of how small brown feathers were caught in the seams between the seats and snickering. "Reno, what happened while I was out?"

"Loads of people started going to their local WRO bases and dropping off materia."

"Mister Reeve mentioned this. Do we know why yet?" His question was met with a shake of the turk's head. "Unusual."

"You're tellin' me. So what -did- happen with your wings, man? You seemed pretty stoked to have them."

"They were more of a physical growth shaped to suit my will than wings manifested. If I could have dismissed them at will, I would have kept them however I could not. As such, I got rid of them. I prefer shirts and coats, and I already draw too much attention as it is. Perhaps if we figure out how Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth conjured their own wings I will be able to better protect Tseng's car, but for now it is a necessity." Raul smiled slightly as Reno snickered. A figure approached them across the tarmac, staying in the red-head's blind spot, and the clone let his smile grow.

"Well, you didn't scratch it, so he'll at least be-"

"I'll at least be what, Reno."

"Uhh, nothing! Sir!"

* * *

"So could you make yourself look different then?" Andrew, acting chef for the day, frowned at him as he settled some eggs onto Raul's plate as the clone blinked and stared at him blankly. "I mean, you've proven you're nothing like _him_ time and time again, but it's still... Awkward, seeing that face. And you must've looked like someone else before, right? Since you're a clone?"

"I..." The thought hadn't occured to him, and Raul accepted his plate back with a frown. "... I... Hmm. I hadn't thought of that, thank you."

"Hey, you really helped me out. If you hadn't covered for my shift, I wouldn't have gotten home in time for Maria." The acting chef of the day smiled, before settling an extra egg onto his place. "Least I can do."

* * *

After breakfast, the clone headed to his rooms and locked the door behind him. If he could grow wings, physically altering his physical shape because of the mutability of the Jenova cells within him then maybe... Maybe he wasn't stuck looking like someone else. Someone he wasn't. Opening his bathroom door, he pulled the towel down from where it covered the mirror and stared at his reflection.

Mako-bright green eyes stared back at him. A moment of focus narrowed the pupils into feline slits, before he sighed and they relaxed back into rounded human-like dots once more. Aristocratic cheekbones, a slightly narrowed jaw and lower lip that was fuller than the upper. A slightly pointed nose, and slender, slanted brows. How would he look, if he hadn't been changed? What would -he-, not Sephiroth, have looked like at this age?

He had always gotten teased about the thickness of his eyebrows, and the squareness of his bangs. He imagined that his nose wouldn't have been quite so pointed, either, and that his eyes had been a more emerald green. The roundness of his face would have been shed by then, but- Oh, but would he have had a -beard-? A mustache? Could he even try and get one to grow?

Raul's eyes widened at the possibilities.

* * *

Tifa's eyes widened, and she pressed her lips together to try and stifle the urge to laugh. Bearing thick, black eyebrows and an even thicker black beard, a very green-eyed Raul settled into the chair across the table from her in the meeting room. She caught Reeve's eye, and he turned quickly towards the whiteboard with twitching lips before clearing his throat. Tseng, sitting a few seats away was as stone-faced as usual, though the same could not be said for Cloud who openly stared, jaw hanging somewhat slack.

"I've called you all here today to discuss recent developments. We have had a total of one hundred and twenty six mastered materia delivered across the world to various WRO locations. While more than half of these have been identified as materia produced by Shinra, they otherwise lack any other common denominator. When asked as to why they were bring these materia to us, two thirds of the civillians portrayed minor irritation, confusion or embarrassment and refused to answer. The latter third have reported dreams where they spoke with 'someone' who asked if they would be willing to do so, to save the planet. Of this third, perhaps ten percent have given us descriptions of a man in a dark leather coat sitting in a field of flowers, with long silver hair." Reeve turned back to the table, caught sight of the clone (with a beard that had impossibly grown longer and was now being stroked in thought) and thought better of it, deciding to instead face the whiteboard and circling portions of what he had written down. "This is further proof that Raul's Remnant of the Past does, in fact, exist and has some sort of plan. What, exactly, that plan is we have yet to determine and what I've gathered you here today to think about."

"Perhaps he expects the WRO to have to fight." The clone frowned, though it was easier to hear in his voice than it was to see on his face. Tifa caught the way he waggled his eyebrows and had to turn her head, stifling a laugh into her shoulder. "If they are delivering the materia under the ideal of 'saving the planet' perhaps they see our organization as a saviour. Which, I believe, is it's purpose correct?"

"Yes." He fought the urge to glance at the table and lost, turning slightly and-

Raul's eyebrows were ridiculously thick and long, largely obscuring his eyes, and Tuesti burst out laughing. "You're doing that on purpose!"

"I am." The clone admitted, reaching up to brush his eyebrows out of the way and chuckling. "Everyone seems to be on edge about the current events, and I thought perhaps if I could garner a few laughs it might lighten the mood. I will trim them, continue."

Tifa shook her head, laughing as the blond swordsman put his head in his hands and groaned, the sound muffled and almost hidden by the fighter's words as she folded her hands on the table. "Alright. What do we know? People are delivering materia, it seems to be the Remnant of the Past's work, and he wants us to use them to save the planet. All of the materia is master level, right?"

"Right." Reeve sat down, shaking his head and grinning as he watched Raul produce a pair of scissors and a small mirror. "They already seem to have duplicated, as well."

"So it's not to make new materia with them, we can safely rule that out. Which leaves using them." Tifa shook her head as the clone went to work carefully trimming the excess from his eyebrows. They remained thick and full, but, looked far less ridiculous by the time he was done.

"Which I'm skeptical about." Tuesti offered out one of the blank pieces of paper form his notepad, sliding it down the table so that Raul could gather up the trimmed hairs and walk them over to the garbage can. "Between the new influx of materia and our current stores, we have a surplus. Perhaps he wants us to fuse them? With the huge materia already used, however, it would be a difficult process."

"I can try to ask him, however lately my attempts to reach him have failed." The clone settled back down at the table, inspecting his reflection and running a hand along his beard. "... I do not understand how you can stand facial hair. It itches fiercely, and seems as if it would only distract you."

"It takes time to get used to it. Are... Are you shedding?" Reeve blinked as the beard came free in sections with a series of gentle tugs.

"I am. It seems the easiest way to do so without shaving."

"I will look into unusual uses of materia." Tseng pushed himself up from the table, before bowing slightly. "Perhaps I can find something in the files recovered from Shinra's materia production programs."


	16. Chapter 16

Raul was left to his own devices after the meeting, It was probably for the best, considering his first stop afterwards was the mess hall. He had thought hair might be easier to grow than two full wings but he still found himself peckish. It was easy enough to join the line, load up his tray with a salad and a bottle of water before heading to one of the empty tables. He reveled in the contrast between when he had first arrived and now, considering people were greeting him off and on as opposed to the stares, whispers and wide berth they had given him before. It was hard to believe it had been almost four months.

But it had. And while there were still plenty that looked at him suspiciously, he let them stare. If they were going to make judgments about him regardless of what he did, then instead of being guilty in a quiet way he was going to be loudly innocent. Now that he was sparring and practicing again, it gave everyone that had a bone to pick with him the opportunity to vent their frustrations and he took every opportunity to ignore any 'accidental' killing strikes and candidly give advice on forms, stances and exercise routines. What had often started as hatred quite often became grudging competition and respect, after a fashion, and he made certain to always give a show of good sportsmanship.

Of course, this didn't always work. There were still plenty who felt he was mocking them, or even talking down to them. These people, he had to be very careful with. Small bits of encouragement, polite nods and a seemingly deaf ear to the mutters and curses that followed him were his weapons in this war, and he applied them liberally. He accepted that he was to live in the spotlight, under the discerning eye of the masses and had steeled his resolve the day he had arrived at the WRO compound. Quite honestly, he was more surprised by the lack of people attempting to kill him in his sleep, though that likely more had to do with the public showing the turks seemed to constantly be making in his vicinity. Of course, nobody openly -said- that they knew what the turks did for a living, but everyone -knew-.

There were three people that everyone assumed were the turks. Reno, Rude and Tseng. Elena was the one that was 'too bubbly' that nobody expected, and it worked in her favour. She scouted, seemed mostly harmless and kept a lower profile than the others by a wide margin, giving their new recruits lessons on espionage and letting Reno and Rude be the two visible 'go to' guys while Tseng sat at the top, their leader. She already had two trainees, and Raul only knew because of his enhanced hearing and the way she kept muttering at them to stop fidgeting, relax, and look natural.

Everything had settled into an enjoyable routine. It was only a matter of time before something broke the tenuous peace, but while it lasted... The clone would simply bask in it and finish his salad. It was easier to eat if he distracted himself, and as he finished he snagged his bottle of water and stood up to return his tray, stifling a sigh as the room hushed. Footsteps? Two sets, coming up behind him. One softer than the other, though the heavier set abruptly started gaining speed-

Raul turned, sliding aside a step, but for all that he got the empty tray between his side ( _Ribs will protect the vitals, but the soft space between where they ended and his hip was vulnerable...!_ ) and his assailant it was useless. Blinking, he found himself careening back a step as Loz barreled into him and wrapped him up in a hug, Yazoo smirking from a few feet away.

"Brother! My Chocobo's made their first baby! You have to come see her! Yazoo's going to be in his first race next week! You have to come see him!"

The clone smiled tolerantly, muscling his way out of the hug and settling a hand on the burly remnant's shoulder to stop him from bouncing around.

* * *

It was, in a word, adorable. The size of a small dog, green feathered and wobbly-legged as it picked its way between its yellow-feathered mother's legs and made for Loz as the burly remnant leaned over the edge of the stall, cooing. The mother watched with a keen eye but seemed to have long since accepted Loz's presence, staring at Raul and fluffing protectively.

"Dalia, don't be a meanie! This is Raul! He's my brother." The burly remnant carefully scooped up the green chick, warning a wark from the mother and chirping warble from his armful of feathers. It tucked itself against his chest, nuzzling and enjoying the gentle scritches along its neck.

"Loz, it's okay. This is nothing, compared to the stares I received when I re-integrated myself with society." The clone gave Dalia a polite bow, still keeping a distance as she fluffed and warked, sticking her head over the door.

"Well it's -stupid-. Without you, I'd never had started working with Chocobo's and Brother wouldn't ever have the chance to race them! He's going to look so -cool-...!" The burly remnant turned, carefully presenting the green chick. "I wanna name it Steve, but I don't know what gender it is yet! I can learn that in a few weeks."

"You... Want to name it after me?" Raul quirked a brow, eyes fliting between the equally confused chocobo baby and Loz.

"Of course he wants to." Yazoo leaned casually against the door frame, smirking and folding his arms. "It's _green_ , like your eyes."

It was difficult to argue with logic like that.

* * *

By the time the clone returned to the compound, it was getting late. The remnants had insisted that he eat with them before he left, so instead of heading to the mess hall he acquiesced to the flurry of activity that scurried up to the second floor gym and headed up to try and figure out what, exactly was going on. He wasn't disappointed, catching sight through the windows set into the doors nearly two dozen people arguing back and forth. Loudly. About him, and the remnants. Another dozen or so people were scattered about the room, muttering back and forth.

_"-kidnapped children, attacked Edge-!"_

_"-not like that any more! We've all made mistakes-"_

_"They're unnatural **freaks** that deserve to die for the lives they endangered-!"_

_"-no better than Deepground-"_

The clone stifled a sigh, and pushed the door open.

"Yeah, I bet you'd try and protect a Malboro if it accidentally forgot to eat you, thinking maybe it was _redeemable_ -!"

"Corporal Rourke, I'm offended. I brush my teeth far too often to have the same bad breath as one of those." Raul stepped easily through the parting crowd, quirking a brow. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions, picking out more faintly glowing mako eyes of former Soldiers in the groups and clumps that seemed to have been on the defensive than in the groups that had gathered around the corporal. "What seems to be the problem?"

"-You-. You and those Hades-cursed Remnants!" A finger came up to jab against his chest, and the clone took a moment to take a good look at the person it was attached to. Tall, dusky skinned, black haired and dark eyed. Average build. Plain gold band on the ring finger on his left hand. Bags under his eyes. "You come in here, acting like there ain't a damn thing you've done wrong, like the sun shines out your ass and like we should all just _forgive_ you for the part you played killin' the planet! Like we should _PITY_ you, 'cause you 'didn't have a choice'-"

( _He would -not- strike the unenhanced mouthy soldier. He would -not-, no matter how girly and falsetto he made his voice in mockery-_ )

"-You might have everyone else here fooled, Sephiroth, but I know your tricks! Sure, they _say_ that you're a clone, but that just means they took that _monster_ and stuffed him into you! Your da's the asshole scientist behind the human experiments that led to _YOU_ , you test-tube-"

Raul burst into laughter. It wasn't mocking, simply relieved, and he shook his head as he smiled. "Hatred, and jealousy? These are what you have to offer me as reasons for the schism, this wedge you seek to use to divide the good people of the WRO? You failed the SOLDIER exam three times, and gained a wife for your efforts. You attained a happiness I could never touch."

"She _died_ , you piece of-"

"Many people died during Meteorfall, military and civilian alike despite the attempts to evacuate each sector. I invite you to hate me, to vent your frustration and grief at me, to mourn her loss fiercely, but ask that you do not bring others into this feud. They have done nothing wrong. There is nothing I can do, to bring your wife back. All I can do for you, is be a willing target for your emotions on behalf of a broken, dead man." The clone turned towards the rest of the group. "The same applies to all of you. I ask that you do not divide the WRO in this manner. We are all here for the same reason, to help restore the planet. Regardless of history or background, I ask that we all continue to work towards our common goal-"

He heard the way the holster clicked, metal sliding against leather as the clasp was undone in one smooth movement. He ignored it, watching the way eyes both lit faintly by mako and otherwise widened. Being shot -hurt-. Being shot in the -back- disappointed him, and he ignored the brief flash of pain as he raised a hand, stalling the surge of bodies even as they started to shift towards the corporal in outrage.

"-and set aside these differences my presence has caused. While I do not possess any formal rank, I ask that you all return to your duties and cease this senseless conflict." Turning back to Rourke, he quirked a brow once more as he surveyed the handgun that was still being pointed at him. "I also advise that you refrain from shooting me again. I like to think that I am a patient man, but I will defend myself henceforth. You have used your one free shot, Corporal Rourke."

* * *

Sitting in the med bay, the clone winced and endured the nurse's tirade with what he hoped was grace as she cut into the healed-over hole to dig out the offending bullet that was lodged against the back of one of his ribs.

"If I had dodged, it would have hit someone else. Better that it was me. I am more durable and heal faster, after all."

( _He had to protect his soldier's._ )

"You're just lucky he didn't shoot you in the head!"

"In my defense, he was going for pain, instead of a clean kill. His wish, after all, is to make me pay for the death of his wife. I would not be surprised if he blames me for failing the SOLDIER exams, because he likely believed he would have had the strength to save his wife." Raul grimaced as the bullet was finally dug out. "Regardless, this will only add to my reputation as an immortal monster, which will - with luck - ward off any further attempts against my life. How would you kill something unkillable, after all?"

"You try -harder-." The nurse huffed, before setting the scalpel down and dropping the bullet into the pan so that she could gesture at him with the tweezers. "You're just going to make him work twice as hard to kill you, you know. People like him, when they've got nothing left to loose they just become more dangerous."

"I will hold onto my hope that he will despair at the enormity of the task, have faith in those that protect me in my sleep, and continue to wish him the peace of mind that comes with the expunging of his grief." Raul inclined his head in thanks at the bandage that was applied across the back of his ribs, before reaching for his shirt.

"I'm surprised you didn't throw him clean across the room."

"Hopefully, so is he."

She turned to start sterilizing her equipment, disinfecting it and wiping down each tool carefully. "Didn't you want to?"

"Of course." Raul smiled sadly. "Anyone would want to hurt someone that, not only called them a monster, shot them. I wanted to break the floor with his face, to beat him senseless with his own arm, but what would that accomplish? More hatred. A never ending cycle. It is better this way."


	17. Chapter 17

He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what, exactly, he was being called to Reeve's office for. When Raul noted Corporal Rourke standing off to the side, he was not disappointed and politely closed the door behind him.

"Mister Tuesti. Corporal Rourke. To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"I understand there was an altercation between the two of you. Rourke here said that you verbally abused him in front of the others, and have taken to sowing discontent among the ranks." Reeve rubbed his temples and leaned back in the chair.

"Corporal Rourke has a very unique understanding of the words 'verbally abused', it seems. I was under the impression we were having a regular conversation. If he took anything I said amiss, I apologize." The clone turned and bowed slightly, politely, towards the Corporal, ignoring the glare he received in turn as he straightened and turned back towards the Director. "I am willing to increase my workload to compensate for this misunderstanding."

"I find that acceptable. Corporal Rourke, you are dismissed. I believe you have a mission waiting for you, after all." Reeve waved a hand, and the dusky skinned man stiffly saluted before stalking out. As the door slammed behind him Raul quirked a brow and received a sheepish, apologetic smile in return. "Sorry, things are... Starting to get out of hand. How's your rib?"

"Another day or so and it should finish healing. He seems willing to go to great lengths to cause misery, for a Corporal. This was an inevitability, however. The longer I remain within the public eye, the more resentful those who harbor hatred towards Sephiroth for Meteorfall will become. I cannot blame them, either. It was his fault, after all." The clone shook his head, sighing.

"I admire your restraint. If somebody shot me like that I'd probably panic and bleed everywhere." Tuesti shook his head, leaning back in his chair once more and tilting his head back with a sigh. "From what I understand, you didn't even flinch."

"I've been shot before. I was more concerned about the people adjacent to me, in the event that he resumed firing. I stand by what I said, however, in that he has already used his free shot."

"What do you plan to do then?" Reeve glanced over, frowning as Raul clasped his hands behind his back and smiled smugly, lifting his chin.

* * *

A few hours later found him digging a hole with some borrowed equipment, stripped to the waist, just outside of the WRO compound. A few hours later and the truck arrived with the large stone pillar he had requested, and he manually hauled the unwieldly mass of it off of the flatbed and carefully eased the (even for him) heavy mass of it into the pit. He had attracted a crowd by then, though he stoically ignored it as he shoveled dirt back into the hole, filling it in around the now twelve foot tall stone monolith. Once he had finished, he retrieved his ladder and propped it against the flat stone face so that he could climb to the top and pull a chisel from his pocket, setting himself and tapping away until he felt he was finished. Leaning back, he inspected his work.

 ** _IN SOLEMN_** **** _MEMORANDUM_  
NO ONE IS EXPENDABLE  
NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND  
LEST WE FORGET

**_MIRANDA ROURKE_ **

Raul climbed down the ladder, leaving it and the chisel near by as he waited for the next truck to arrive. He ignored the whispers until the heavy angry stomping of boots drew near.

"What the -hells- do you think you're doing?" Corporal Rourke leaned in, shouting in his face as the clone leaned slightly to keep an eye on the road. Was that-? Ah. Sunlight off metal. It should be there soon.

"Building a memorial for the lives of those lost that were personal for the members of the WRO, Corporal Rourke. I cannot bring them back, but I can ensure that the world never forgets about them. Please spread the word that any who wish the names of their lost loved ones are invited to come to me. If they wish to carve the names upon the stone themselves, I will step aside, otherwise if they wish for me to do so I am more than willing. Excuse me." Stepping neatly around the flabbergasted man, he raised a hand to hail the truck as it slowed to a stop.

"Got a delivery of flowers for one 'Raul', that you?" A ballcap-clad head poked out of the driver side window, the elderly gentleman wearing it sizing the clone up as he approached.

"Yes Sir. You made good time. Do you have any advice on how to properly keep them alive in this area?"

* * *

By the end of the day there were several dozen names carved into the stone. Raul was asked to add some in between planting flowers and lighting candles, which he agreed to do without hesitation, and he stayed until well past midnight before finally returning to his rooms for a shower and some rest. The sound of the water had deafened him to the intruders he abruptly found himself face to face with, wearing only a towel.

"Reno, we have to stop meeting like this. People will talk."

"Yo, it was your publicity stunt that's making us work overtime, bud. You got anything good in the fridge? I'm -starvin'-!" The red-headed turk grinned over from where he was sitting on a softly groaning, black clad man. A gun sat on the arm of the couch, ammo cartridge sitting in the sink across the room.

"I might have some rice left over." Ambling over to the fridge, he nodded politely to Rude and the assailant he had in an arm bar against the wall. "Rude."

The bald turk nodded politely back, and they all ignored the muffled, strained grunting from the man pinned against the wall. Raul studied the contents of his fridge, and hummed. "I seem to also have some chicken. I could cut it into chunks if you like, mix it with the rice."

"Nice as that sounds, Tseng's got Wutaian take out waitin' for us." Reno yawned idly before pushing himself up and giving the man he had sat on a whap upside the head with his magrod. The body jerked, and he slumped back against the ground, unconscious once more. Reaching down, he collected him by the back of the shirt and started to drag him towards the door. "We gotta get another pizza party goin' soon though. Maybe do karaoke next time?"

"Sounds good." The clone pulled out the rice and chicken anyways, opening the microwave and turning to watch the red-headed turk open the door and haul the unconscious man out before exchanging a nod with Rude as the bald turk hauled his struggling captive out as well. The door clicked closed, and he sighed before turning back to his food and deciding to simply eat it cold.

* * *

_"What do you plan to do then?"  
_

_"I will weaken his hold over his support. I will build a memorial, very publicly, and spend time caring for it. I will carve the names of those lost loved ones into the stone. I will sweat and lay forth my efforts to repentant and his anger will either mellow or grow. I cannot control this factor, but I can control my public image. Rumours will spread. There is no possible way to stop them from doing so regardless, so I will use them to flood every grapevine he attempts to use to listen with, with words of my actions. I will be the perfect public picture of someone working hard to redeem the sins of the past." Raul canted his head to the side. "It will not be easy, but it should thin the ranks of those who set themselves in my path as hostiles. I expect the number of those who are discontent with my presence to halve, considering in their grief they would never expect someone to do such a thing. They may not forgive me, they may never become my allies, but they will cease to be outright enemies, mollified by my efforts. Hard work is often seen as penance, after all."_

_"What about those who will see it as a mockery, as a lie?" Reeve quirked a brow._

_"Is that not what Tseng assigned the turks as my shadows for?"_

* * *

The next day, despite of or perhaps because of the lack of any verbal acknowledgement of Corporal Rourke's band abruptly missing two people, Raul took a good, long look at his funds. He was paid a small portion on a monthly basis in addition to whatever was his due when he completed missions, and most of that went unused until he needed it for things such as the memorial. It would take time for his meager resource pool to refill, but in the meantime...

In the meantime he would continue to plan. He very visibly spent time around the compound, helping out and accepted jobs that would very easily have been seen as 'beneath' him. He scrubbed floors, changed lightbulbs and held doors. He tucked chairs in at the end of the day in the mess hall. He realigned cameras when the security staff couldn't reach them. He ran paperwork between offices and gave (still terrible) advice. He complimented, delivered coffee, sparred in the second floor gym with wooden weapons and ran laps. He handed in his paperwork early, mucked out the chocobo stables and spent time at the memorial, ensuring it was kept clean and free of garbage. At the end of the day, he thanked his mako-enhanced constitution for his energy and spent an hour or so patrolling the area outside of the compound.

And through it all, he made sure that he was never -ever- seen alone. These weren't yet entirely _his_ people, but every day he met new people, memorized names and engaged in expanding his social network. It was still largely restricted to members of the WRO but on weekends he would head out with a few others to Kalm and repeat the process there, acting as a designated driver (which worked out, considering he metabolized alcohol too quickly for it to really get him buzzed anyways) and earning an impeccable record of punctuality and safety. He even made time to visit Loz and watch Yazoo's first, third and fifth races.

It was utterly exhausting, if he was going to be honest, but slowly the whispers of dissent faded over the course of the next few months until there were perhaps twenty or so people that refused to work with him. They were easy enough to avoid antagonizing, doubly so when they all shipped out together for Rocket Town. It spoke of a tactical retreat, and the clone was absolutely certain that his efforts were still being reported back to Corporal Rourke. It was what he would have done, if nothing else. That was acceptable. He had survived constant surveillance so far, and would continue to do so until he felt it was safe to seek a reprieve.

All told, it was a long and grueling campaign that Raul felt he had rather neatly handled. Perhaps he would have been right, save for one small thing.

Never underestimate the rage of those who have nothing left to lose.

* * *

Nobody was sure where the leak was coming from. Medical files, Hojo's records on Sephiroth, Jenova, Jenova's origins and Nibelheim were starting to surface. The clone could handle these events, considering he had never hidden the fact that he was what he was but when Yazoo started to have things thrown at him when he went to race and someone decided to poison the chocobo's that Loz was raising, he started to take it personally.

"We're stretched thin at the moment. There's always more work than manpower, unfortunately. I'd love to dedicate more people to this, but Vincent's up doing surveys in the Sleeping Forest and Rufus has all but the turk trainees at work. Tseng is trying to do his best, but..." Reeve settled the side of his face against the stack of paperwork in the middle of his desk, sighing. It was cool against his skin, and he knew Raul wouldn't begrudge him a moment of weakness. The clone was sitting beside the desk, sorting through his own stack after all.

"It's a volunteer organization, I understand. Tseng is also busy trying to sort out materia fusion information. We still don't have much to go on, after all, and it keeps coming in. Still no word from our disembodied friends, either, on why." The clone twitched a piece of paper out from the rest, settling it on top of another pile before shaking his head. "My greatest concern however is the drop in birth rate across the globe. Something is happening to the lifestream, and it's effecting plant and wildlife just as harshly as humanity."

"You noticed that too. It used to only be a factor in Midgar, and it was linked to the way we were producing mako, but we've taken almost all of the reactors offline-"

Raul's head jerked up, before he looked towards the Director. "Mister Tuesti, you are a genius."

"I mean, I am, but-" Reeve gave the clone a cheeky grin as he lifted his head.

"The mako reactors. You designed them. If we can alter them to only siphon out the Jenova-tainted portions of the lifestream, we might have a chance." The clone pushed himself to his feet. "I think you need coffee, Director."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

They shared a grin, before Raul turned and bustled out of the office.

* * *

Leaving Reeve to his newfound task, the clone took his saved up week's worth of leave (one day a month, but still better than nothing) and made a special trip to Rocket Town. Yazoo and Loz met him on the boat from Junon, wearing nondescript travelers clothes and hats that hid the colour of their hair, finding him in the crowd easily as they followed the static. The burly remnant was still sullen over the near loss of his prized birds.

"Brother." The slender remnant nodded as they settled next to him at the railing. "You seem to have a plan."

"They can target me all they want. I have thick skin, and prepared for such things. Targeting the two of you, however, is unacceptable. Neither of you have caused any trouble, and Loz has gotten nothing but good reviews regarding how he handles chocobo." The clone narrowed his eyes, staring out at the water as the ship started to pull away from the Junon dock. "Your conduct has been exemplary both on and off the race track as well."

"You understand then. We will never be accepted by them." Yazoo leaned back, idly watching the crowds and cracking his neck quietly first one way, then the other.

"Nobody is ever accepted by the entirety of a populace. This does not make you any different from anyone. However..." Raul glanced over as Loz sulked on his other side, moodily staring out at the crowds. "... We are a family. And family looks out for each other. To do this, however, I need you to trust me, and act as I instruct."

"We trust you, Brother." The burly remnant shifted to nudge the clone with a shoulder. "It's -humans- we don't trust."

"Will you both follow my lead, then?" Raul glanced at one, then the other remnant that flanked him, relieved as each of them nodded. He could feel their sincerity through the connection he shared with them, and smiled. "Good. Then let us begin our own little family hunt."


	18. Chapter 18

The connection they held was good for transmitting non-verbal things. Panic, in the event of an ambush, the comforting presence of backup nearby and subtle things, like intent of what direction one of them was heading at any given time, if enough focus was put into it. Cellphones were superior when it came to pictures and when words needed to be shared. The remnants made for excellent teachers when it came to learning the limits of the connection, as well as for the rather more illegal methods of travel. It was something Raul had only once had to resort to, and even then he had largely been more of a stow-away than an espionage expert.

Yazoo was, however. Where Loz was enthusiastic manual window-opening prowess and sentry the slender remnant was light fingers on a keyboard of the computer in the office of a closed-for-the-night bar in Costa del Sol. Raul alternated between the two, keeping an eye out and taking pictures of the computer screen with his phone every time Yazoo pointed something out.

"It's easy enough, once you know what you're doing." The slender remnant smirked, stretching cat-like where he sat on the office chair. "Loz never had the patience, while Kadaj generally worried more about logistics. You might not like what methods he used."

"I'm assuming there were a number of broken bones along the journey." The clone scrolled through his pictures, double checking before returning to the camera screen.

"Plenty." Yazoo went back to scrolling through screens, picking out another news article for Raul to snap a picture of. "None of them were ours, though. Humans can be sooo... _Fragile_."

"I am, mostly, genetically human." The clone let a smirk play about his lips as the remnant scoffed.

"That is a point of frustration. You're our Brother, but you're also one of _them_. Still, you're one of the closest things to us on the planet, which means you have the best chance of understanding us."

"The world doesn't have to become us versus them, you know. A lot of people like chocobo racing, you know. You share more than just a vague general shape with the general populace." Raul glanced towards the window, where Loz was keeping watch and humming tunelessly under his breath. "There will always be people that you don't like, and people that you do."

"Why should -we- moderate ourselves to fit in?" The words would have been harsh except for the note of curiosity and lack of hostility through the connection. "We are stronger than them. Better than them. More durable, and faster."

"Because they're what we have, Brother. Because being alone, ostracized and hated by the world is a terrible, horrible feeling. Because we all share life on the same space-rock."

* * *

They camped out on the plains. Loz was ever the enthusiastic hunter, catching killing and even cooking their meal for the evening. As they ate, Raul shared with them some of Sephiroth's better memories, as well as some of the worse ones. They could tell he was being honest with them, and in turn he felt as though they were starting to understand why he felt protective of the humans. Without Cruelty and Insanity, they were Allure and Charisma, Strength and Speed following a clone. They were what Sephiroth had been _before_ , and that resonated with them on some level.

Loz spoke about the people at the chocobo ranch fondly, asking if _they_ were his people. Raul smiled softly and mentioned that anyone could be their people, and that the possibilities were endless. Yazoo cracked a joke about the chocobo they had raised being the burly remnant's people, and an easy laugh and agreement was had by the three of them as they sat around the campfire, enjoying the fresh air until it was disturbed by the clone's cellphone going off. He held up one hand, dug it out of a pocket and ambled answered it.

"I understand that I have been particularly helpful in the past several months, but I _am_ on vacation."

 _"Raul, I certainly hope you aren't doing anything that might endanger the reputation you just built_ _up."_ Tifa's voice was worried, though she was trying at humour. He strained his ears for a moment to see if he heard anything in the background, noting papers shuffling and sighed.

"No, Miss Tifa. As I mentioned, I am on vacation. I brought Yazoo and Loz with me to cheer them up, considering the misfortune that befell them recently. We're camping just outside of Costa del Sol at the moment." The clone shrugged apologetically at the way the slender remnant rolled his eyes.

_"And your vacation location just happens to coincide with the shortest route to Rocket Town?"_

"Miss Tifa, the man shot me in the back in a room full of people, sent two of his squad mates with loaded guns into my rooms to ambush me as I exited the showers and is very likely the culprit antagonizing the Remnants."

_"We don't have proof that they didn't act on their own, and we don't have anything that connects him to the poisoning and the information leaks-"_

"-And the WRO is stretched too thin to look into this and gather that evidence. You have my word that I will avoid him as best I can, however I cannot promise to weather such things quietly. I was content to retaliate by ensuring that I performed exemplary feats of social service in the public eye, however I cannot accept these actions taken against my companions-" Raul winced, a headache blooming abruptly behind his eyes before lessening.

( _ **Nobody is expendable. Nobody gets left behind.**_ )

 _"Just... Promise me that you won't do anything stupid?"_ The fighter sounded like she was frowning, and the clone sighed.

* * *

"Is Tifa one of our people?" Loz stertched his legs out, wiggling his toes in his boots and periodically keeping an eye on the fire.

"I like to think that she is. She is... Very motherly. She likes to take care of others." The clone fluffed his sleeping bag before stretching out on top if it, tucking his hands behind his head once he had settled. There was interest immediately through their connection, and he huffed. "Not that way. Jenova was not motherly. Motherly is to care for the wellbeing of another, to constantly prepare food for the one you wish to protect. You have seen such things with the chocobo you have bred, have you not? Where the mother will fight on behalf of the child. Jenova... Was the inverse. She sought to have others fight on her behalf."

"That's why she was so fierce at the church! I liked playing with her." The burly remnant beamed, before frowning suddenly. "... Kadaj wanted me to go back to where we were camping, though."

"For someone unenhanced, she is very strong. I am sure that, if you promised to match her level of strength she would accept you as a sparring partner. It would very likely help her grow in strength, and she may very well hold the ability to prompt you to fight seriously." Raul yawned idly, before closing his eyes. "Do you want me to take first watch?"

"Nah. I'll get it. Yazoo'll get second, and then you can take third." Loz tipped his head back to peer up at the stars. "Motherly, huh...?"

* * *

Rocket Town had grown in the years since Meteorfall. Now it was a place where people made experimental engines and machines as the world refused to use Mako as fuel, and there were examples of everything from steam engines to solar powered motorcycles. If you wanted to see if you could make it, you came to Rocket Town.

Of course, this also extended to weapons, though of course any testing of such things was done far away from the city itself. There wasn't much call for them regardless as the world instead searched for alternate methods the populace could use to fuel civilization, and nearly all of the weapons produced went to either private buyers or the WRO to use to defend people from monsters.

( _Monsters. A surprisingly nuanced word, and one that meant anything from people who committed heinous acts to things that lacked discernible humanoid anatomy and everything in between. He was a monster, but he knew that he wasn't the worst of them, by far._ )

The trio strolled into town under the cover of darkness after having spent an afternoon scouting out what they needed to know. Corporal Rourke was holed up in the WRO outpost, and there was nothing visibly amiss regarding the people who entered and exited the buildings during the hours Yazoo had watched it. That could have meant anything, though, and standard procedure dictated that the buildings have an underground bunker and escape that would lead somewhere out away from the city in the event of an evacuation.

They hadn't had much luck finding the exit, but it could have been anywhere from a few hundred feet to a mile away from the city and it was easier to implement their plan via the front door either way. It was a gamble regardless, and as Raul squared his shoulders the burly remnant wrapped him in a bear hug and wished him good luck with what felt like his entire being through the connection.

"How long does the change take?" Yazoo held up the mirror with one hand, the other curling slightly as fire started to dance along his gloved fingers while Loz stepped aside to keep watch.

"About twenty minutes. It wears off, however. Previous experimentation indicates that unless I am consciously continuously imposing my will, it will revert. I have to keep the mental image firmly fixed into my mind as well, as should my concentration slip it will unravel and it does so quicker than it takes to initiate the change itself." The clone studied his reflection in the mirror before his brows furrowed. The muscles across his face shifted, and his eyes went from glowing green to a muted brown while his hair subtly shifted. The scissors came next, the excess length cut away quickly being gathered and tucked away for disposal later, and the burly remnant giggled before ruffling the forest of short, black slicked back hair that the clone sported.

"Humm. Hrrrmn. Hurrrmmmn..." Clearing his throat, Raul nodded as the pitch of his voice deepened before looking at the two remnants. "Now then. Let's get to work."

* * *

The hardest part wasn't getting in. It was, in fact, getting out without anyone suspecting anything, which meant more than simply getting the clone out. It meant getting both remnants back out through the same window he was cracking open in the break room to let them in. It meant keeping people away from the offices as the two remnants accessed the computer. It meant Loz carrying Yazoo faster than the cameras could catch back and forth diagonally across hallways to avoid cameras as he mildly ambled along. It meant the one, poor janitor was distracted as the disguised clone 'helped' him empty the garbages and 'accidentally' overturned one of them, sending papers and apple cores and empty coffee cups across the floor.

Most importantly, it meant the careful application of a sleep spell across Corporal Rourke's unconscious form in his rooms before they started to clone the hard drive of his computer. Raul was glad he had impressed upon the other two the importance of the unenhanced remaining unharmed. It cemented the fact that they had never been here, because of -course- if they broke in for revenge he would die. Or at least get a black eye.

Carefully closing the window behind the two remnants as they scaled back down the side of the building and zipped off into the alleys, the clone sighed, re-locked the window and then headed back down to the main doors where he exited peacefully and with a cheerful 'Take care, Mister Sinclair!'.

He burned the fake ID Yazoo had made. It was good work, but he couldn't risk leaving evidence behind.

* * *

"Seems our friend was being fed the information, but didn't have a hand to it's direct distribution." The slender remnant pouted, resting his elbows on the desk on either side of the keyboard. They had settled into one of the open offices in the main hanger, Loz keeping watch as had become the norm, while the clone stretched and sighed.

"Any way to trace back who it was?"

"I wrote down the passwords from the settings of his browser, so we have a little bit of time before I have to hack his account. It would be nice, if we could have gotten his PHS." Yazoo cracked his neck carefully from one side to the other.

"We can do without. Besides, while you were on his computer, I was taking pictures of his messages with the phone Loz purchased. They might not be crystal clear, however..." Raul shrugged, before they both glanced over to where they felt caution suddenly emanate from their sentry. The slender remnant hummed, shut the computer down and retrieved his effects before they both made their way carefully out of the hanger and into the morning light, avoiding those crazy enough to show up early for work.


	19. Chapter 19

He'd kept a computer at his place in Costa del Sol, because what else was there to do when you were pretending to be retired other than surf the world wide network just as often as you surfed the waves that came up to the beach. That, and watch the two free channels that were broadcast and could be picked up by the antenna he had painstakingly mounted to the side of the building. They were 're-purposed tech' that had been scavenged, repaired and barely worked at the best of times but as the three of them tiredly checked the premise for squatters, theft or thugs they found it blessedly clear. The sheets on the bed were mysteriously mussed, though, so they simply burned them in the fireplace.

Sometimes, it was better to avoid asking questions.

Most of the food in the fridge was spoiled, so Loz went and hunted down something and they cooked it over a campfire that Yazoo and Raul assembled and lit. All in all, it was a peaceful way to watch the sun rise, and the clone waved the other two into the house when they were finished eating with the promise that he would keep watch. Besides, he told them, he needed to make a call. As if to punctuate his point, the phone in his hand buzzed and lit up, and after Loz zipped back to him for a hug he answered it and ushered the burly remnant back towards the house once more.

"Raul speaking. How may I assist you?"

 _"Raul, where are you?"_ It was Reeve. He sounded exhausted. _"We just received word that Corporal Rourke was killed in his sleep. You wouldn't happen to have had anything to do with that, would you?"_

"Rourke was alive and well when I last saw him." Black brows furrowed, and the clone sat down on the porch.

_"And when, precisely, was that?"_

"Day before last. We stopped in Rocket Town overnight and left that morning." Raul tilted his head, looking back towards where he knew the bedroom was while his frown deepened. "Before you ask, yes, I stopped in to see him while we were there. He was sleeping peacefully, and I left him like that after taking several pictures of information on his phone."

 _"Some people say they saw a silver-haired man near the WRO outpost there yesterday. He was found with a sword through him, pinning him to his bed. Guess how long the sword was."_ A door opened in the background, before someone (female, by the pitch of the voice) whispered something about coffee and the door closed.

"You -know- I can't conjure the Masamune. We've tested this." The clone stretched out his legs, watching the waves. He had always found them soothing, the way the light glinted off the waves, like silver-grey riding blue-green...

_"That isn't what the press is saying. They're convinced that you're here to kill people. We need you to come back-"_

"We can head back to Rocket Town to investigate. It would be closer. Which, I must also mention, Corporal Rourke was privy to the leaked information but was not distributing it." Raul narrowed his eyes, glancing back and catching sight of luminous eyes quickly vanishing around the door frame before hugging out a small laugh.

 _"No, Raul. You can't be the one to look into this. We need people to see your good qualities, and if you're this close to the case then the public will start thinking you're destroying evidence to clear your own name."_ The words were chased by a quiet slurp of what was presumably coffee, and a soft sigh.

"Actually, I have a better idea. The press wants visual confirmation that I'm under control, correct?" The clone waved Loz over, and the burly remnant sulked each step and closed the screen door behind him quietly as Raul heard the Director sigh once more. "Careful now, keep that up and people will think you're deflating."

_"Yes, yes, and they do."_

"So send them to me. Ship the adolescent chocobo to us first, with Reno as well. I'll take the rest of my vacation under the watchful eye of the public. Livestream it, even, constantly for the next several days." Raul reached out to clasp Loz by the shoulder, smiling as he perked up. "Anyone looking will know I'm on vacation. Let's make sure anyone who isn't looking knows it too. Invite the press. Invite anyone and everyone."

_"Your answer to these accusations are to party for four days?"_

"Naturally. Cosmo Canyon style, no less."

* * *

_"What do you have to say about Corporal Rourke's death?" The reporter shoved the microphone into the face of the man who claimed to be a Sephiroth Clone, and not Sephiroth himself, and he simply frowned and removed his sunglasses. Emerald green eyes were framed by black, bead-laden bangs, and he looked sad._

_"That I miss him already. If I had known he would be attacked, I would have gone and visited him. Maybe I could have helped him, or even coordinated watches with him, but..."_

_"We have reports that you've had altercations with him in the past. Is it true that he shot you, point blank?" Another microphone was shoved into his face, and he tilted his head._

_"He firmly believed that I'm the monster that killed countless people in Wutai. If I was so powerful and fast, would I not have dodged?" The self-proclaimed clone shook his head, looking downright mournful now. "I should have tried to talk to him more, but I mistakenly believed that with some space and time, he might find peace. He was a good man, if misguided with his hatred, and I have already reached out to his family to offer financial aid in this trying time. He has a son, six years old now who was placed in an orphanage."_

_The man who called himself Stephen Raul turned to face the camera directly, brow furrowing. "If anyone would be willing to take care of him, I would appreciate it. The system is -no- place for the son of a man who worked so hard to protect the planet."_

_"What makes you so sure that evidence won't lead back to you? People are saying you're the man who killed him. Silver hair was found at the scene of the crime." The first microphone was back, and the mockery shook his head once more._

_"One, my hair is black. I dye it, so to have washed it out of my hair and then re-dyed it I would have had to buy anywhere from eight to twelve boxes of black number one hair dye and several bottles of specialized shampoos and conditioners. Two, Yazoo and Loz have been with me the entire time, so it couldn't have been them either. We came here to help the little chocobo chick recover from poisoning, after all. I believe Loz is even considering naming him in Corporal Rourke's honour." In the background, a green-feathered bundle warked and ran through the surf, chasing a burly man with silver hair and a floral-print shirt, shorts and flip flops. Loz giggled, waving a gyshal green that the chick followed and nibbled bits and pieces off of as they played._

_"Did you hate him?" The second microphone was shoved closer, and the clone apparent looked offended._

_"Ma'am, Corporal Rourke may not have liked me, but we fought for the same goal. I could never hate someone like that. I'm sad that we were never able to reconcile, that someone as dedicated as he was has returned to the life stream. He was one of my people. One of my co-workers, a comrade in arms. I built a monument to the lives lost during Meteorfall because of the people he represented, the people who lost the most in this world after Jenova tried to destroy it. I did everything I could to try and help him through his grief-"_

The television clicked, screen fuzzing and fading to black as it was manually turned off. Eyes lit by the glow of mako narrowed, before the figure turned and shuffled out of the building. This wasn't going to be as easy as they had thought, and they had work to do.

Somewhere in the world, a black wing spread.

* * *

Raul sat by the campfire. Day three of the four day campaign, and the three of them had done nothing but celebrate life and mourn the passing of Corporal Rourke with songs, food and a traditional lighting of lanterns. Any reporters were shepherded towards the clone who maintained his stoic front while Reno made sure to keep himself obvious while lingering in the background. Every question was answered as honestly as possible, any accusation that any of them had been anywhere near the premise was deflected with logic and remorse, and they were running out of reporters to throw at him.

The fun part was that he was watched by cameras constantly. He did his sleeping in shifts, hours at a time on the beach as he enjoyed the sun. At night, he tended the bonfire, chatted with people who were flocking to the beach and made sure people had a place to crash in the event that they drank too much. He set up and took down the beach volleyball net repeatedly. He surfed, and showed others how to as well.

Yazoo spent most of the time reading books on the beach, though whenever he got a moment he would make sure Reno collected a little bit more of what they had found out. A picture emailed from a phone here, the cloned hard drive hidden away in a sandwich container and dropped off there, mutterings while barbecuing hot dogs shared in the moments they found in between. Loz, for his part, was instrumental in keeping the public eye entertained.

The burly remnant was loud, boisterous and rapidly acclimatizing to the lesser amount of strength that was required to play volleyball among other things. He was sociable, even if he didn't really follow the smarter things said by others, but he was also learning patience. He had been cornered a few times by reporters, presumed to be the weakest social link, however...

Raul had planned for that. An hour-long sit down with Loz had made sure to keep his story straight, not that there was much lying required, and the hardest part was when he was accused of hurting people.

_"Everyone hurts people. I didn't know any better, but I do now. I already said I was sorry to Miss Tifa, and she was so nice! She helped me learn about people, 'cause I never really had the chance to. I thought they were my family, because of the Geostigma, but she sat me down and told me all about what that really was and I'm so sorry that people were sick. It turns out we helped though! All the sick kids were all together and it was easier for them to get brought to the church and start feeling better!"_

And he would smile, that beaming flashing of teeth that was filled with childlike hope and happiness, offer juice because talking was thirsty work, right? And any reporter that cornered him inevitably found themselves with a juice box in one hand and half a sandwich in the other as they juggled the microphone, the burly remnant starting to ramble on about his love of chocobo and facts about the different colours.

While they did this, Reno would periodically drop them hints and clues about the back-end progress. They had found a link. They had lost their lead. Their lead had resurfaced and they were sending people out there. Their suspect had escaped. Don't worry about it, Tseng and Vincent were both on it now. None of it surprising. No, the most surprising thing had been when a mob of people had marched up the beach, yelling and bellowing for revenge.

Raul had, naturally, taken point. He waved the two remnants towards the house, planted himself in the path, and checked behind him to make sure that should he dodge anything, nobody was going to get hurt. There was a speech, a few attacks that were fended off while he gave a second speech, and by then people were crying and he ushered them all around the bonfire for a solemn night of toasts to the fallen, sad stories, and promises to live for the future.

Of course, when pressed about the attacks, he made sure to mention that he forgave them and that grief drove people to do terrible things they otherwise wouldn't do, and in the morning he made sure to hand out coffee and make sure everyone was able to get home safely, regardless of how internally he wanted nothing more than to dive into the water and swim until he was miles away and free of social obligation.

He shackled the urge to simply walk away, proverbially locking it into a box as he stretched out to watch the sunset of day three. The campfire crackled merrily beside him, Reno was playing volley ball with Loz, Yazoo was sitting under an umbrella reading while the double handful of camera crew and stragglers loitered about and enjoyed the oranges and pinks of the sky as they slowly turned to blues and purples.

It was beautiful. It was broken by the way the hair on the back of the clone's neck abruptly stood on end. Habitually, he checked his surroundings and noted Loz frowning as the volley ball bounced harmlessly off of his head, looking towards Yazoo who was slowly pushing himself to his feet. The red-headed turk twisted, looking puzzled.

"Yo, bud! What gives?"

"Something's coming. Get everyone inside the house." Raul pushed himself to his feet, catching the folded up beach umbrella that the slender remnant tossed him before looking towards the stragglers. "Go. Even Rourke can sense it, look at him."

The little green chocobo was digging under the house, trying to get under the porch and warking softly before Loz scooped him up under the arm and opened the door. By the time they had managed to convince a few of the others to one of the camera men pointed towards the sky.

"Look! What do you think-?"

The low flying speck on the horizon pulled up, one hand blazing as a barrage of fireballs rained out and soared towards the beach.


	20. Chapter 20

Yazoo had, fortunately, collected the materia from inside the house and was already casting MBarrier, lobbing some of the coloured spheres towards Loz with his off hand. The burly remnant caught them easily, tucking some into his arm for use and waving people into the house. Any that seemed to linger behind were scooped up and hauled back by Loz as he blurred and secured.

Raul had the hard part. He dove, ducked and dodged the ever increasing swarm of fireballs that seemed to chase him directly, eventually bolting forward and diving into the water. It was too shallow to do more than take the edge off, but between the surf and the MBarrier that Yazoo had thrown over him he was largely unharmed when he surfaced, sputtering. The feeling of _WARNING-DANGER_ from the remnants had him blindly diving into a roll back towards shore, and as he reoriented he could see why.

Standing in the knee-deep water he had previously thrown himself in, stood a man. In his right hand was a long red sword, just a shade different from the red coat that was draped over black leathers. A single black wing sprouted from behind his left shoulder, and the ginger hair that framed his face was impeccably tidy despite the slight wind that had kicked up. Blue eyes held the faint glow of mako, and he smirked as he drew the red sword from where it had been plunged into the sand.

( _Genesis. Right handed. Former SOLDIER 1st class. Deserter, due to degradation and lack of an available cure. Proud. Hero complex._ )

"Commander Rhapsodos. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Raul idly kicked off his flipflops, watching them land a few feet away before adjusting his grip on the folded umbrella.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess, we seek it thus, and ta-" Genesis narrowed his eyes, batting away the umbrella that the clone lunged at him with and grunting as Raul caught him across the face with a right hook. Staggering back, he brought the Rapier up and brought it across horizontally, baring his teeth as the clone dropped under it and surged forward again. "I wasn't done, you imbecile!"

"Are you here to fight me because I look like your greatest rival?" The umbrella poked out several times in rapid succession, swatted away from center mass each time, and starting to lose fabric as the sword cut deep enough to gouge the metal before the clone was able to disengage and reengage for the next stab. The weapon was dangerous, and Raul could appreciate the craftsmenship that went into it. His umbrella wouldn't hold up, at this rate.

"Brother!" Static fuzzed behind him, and he quickstepped through the surf to his left as a blur flashed past and landed a kick against the defensively braced Rapier, shoving Genesis back several feet and giving Loz time to land and grin at Raul as he held out one of his armaments.

"Your Dual Hound? But-"

"Take it. He's here to play with you, isn't he? I got another, so don't worry!"

Raul chuckled, holding out his arm for the remnant to strap the armament into place as he watched the wing on his opponents back flex, lifting Genesis from the water. "Thank you, Loz. Fall back to the house, and protect the unenhanced."

"Now then, as I was saying... We seek it thus, and take to the sky."

"You know, that doesn't answer my question." The clone flexed his hand before reestablishing his grip on the umbrella. A flick with his thumb undid the catch that kept it closed, though he made sure to avoid letting it spring open. "It was reported that you were kidnapped by Deepground and that your cells were spliced into the Tsviets. There was no body found in any of the labs that matched your own when the WRO swept the place after Omega's destruction."

"I'm here for you. You say that you're not Sephiroth, but there's only one way to make sure." Genesis drifted over the shore, touching down lightly and leveling the Rapier at Raul who blinked and laughed.

"By fighting me while I'm on vacation and only armed with what I have on hand? I'm wielding an umbrella, Commander. Hardly what I would call a proper test of my skills or moral compass." The clone turned to keep his opponent in sight, umbrella still braced as if it was a two handed sword. "I would honestly rather not fight you at all."

"Summon your sword. I'll wait."

"I can't." The point of the umbrella drifted down as Raul shook his head. "I've tried. I've never been able to produce a weapon in that fashion."

Blue eyes lit by the glow of mako narrowed as Genesis slowly lowered the sword. He was silent for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing. "My friend, the fates are cruel, There are no dreams, no honor remains..."

"The arrow has left the bow of the goddess." The clone let the tip of the umbrella hover over the sand as he smiled slightly, prepared to snap it up but hoping that he wouldn't have to. "Why don't you come in and get a drink? All I ask, is that you leave the sword by the door."

"Very well."

* * *

"You really are nothing like him." Genesis sipped his tea, legs crossed. The wing had disappeared, leaving only a slit in the back of his coat and shirt, and he watched as Raul hummed and poured tea for the rest of the people gathered around the table and then offered some to the camera crew that remained. The rest of the civilians had left by way of the back door of the house, leaving them mostly alone.

"Thank you. Considering Sephiroth very nearly destroyed the world, to be told that I am nothing like him is one of the highest compliments I feel I could receive." Turning back to the table, the clone sat down and poured himself a cup of tea, sipping it while Loz idly played with the chocobo in his lap. Yazoo sat a short distance away, arms folded, legs crossed as he stared at the Crimson Commander with the same intensity of a cat sizing up a mouse. "What happened, if I might ask? The reports are all... Very impersonally written."

"Hollander didn't have a cure, meaning I had defected for nothing. It took the intervention of the Goddess, for my degradation to be cured, after which I was captured by Deepground. I escaped and sealed myself away inside the caverns to await a time the world would need me to save it, in Angeal or Sephiroth's stead, and when Omega was destroyed the resulting shock wave woke me from my slumber." A hand waved idly, and Raul filed away further questions for when he had a chance to speak with Genesis alone. "What to my surprise that I learn people are convinced that Sephiroth is destroying the world."

"What you said played a part in it, at the reactor. It fanned the fires of madness that had been set by Hojo."

The red-clad former soldier grimaced, hiding the expression behind his teacup as he took another sip. "... How did you come to have his face? I've told you my story."

"I was in the SOLDIER program. Similar to how you made Genesis copies, Hojo injected some of those who remained with a greater dose of Sephiroth and Jenova cells, overwriting our minds with the urge to meet in the North Crater for some manner of Reunion. Many of us gained similar physical features, some more than others. I came to physically look like him during this time. We all had the same eyes, if I recall correctly. I could be mistaken, much of my memory from that time is... Hazy. I was not myself." Raul leaned back in his chair, gathering his hair over his shoulder and starting to labouriously braid it to keep his hands busy. "You said you intend to save the world?"

"I will show the world what a _real_ hero is." Lifting his chin, Genesis smirked and narrowed his eyes. "Don't get in my way."

"I recommend working with the WRO in this regard. Their goal is to save the planet too, after all, and I am certain they could benefit from the wisdom and experience you will bring to the table. I doubt they have anyone as strong as you on hand, either." Loz looked ready to protest the clone's words, opening his mouth before shutting it and shifting when Raul eased _caution-amusement_ through their connection with a physical smile. "You are, after all, a master at materia use among other things, and a brilliant tactician."

"You really _are_ nothing like him. He wouldn't have laid the flattery on quite so thick." The smirk that crossed the Crimson Commander's face was almost feline this time, and gestured with his other hand. "You're trying to manipulate me into working under Shinra's replacement."

"No, I'm inviting you to take up the same line of work as I am. I take only the missions I want, and there are a lot of people you could save if you only knew where they were and when they needed help. If you honestly want to help save the world, then you have to understand that it isn't only about fighting wars, but also building the economy back up. Repairing relations between continents and uniting peoples. Defending civilization from monsters. The planet is sick, and rampant killing isn't going to help when there isn't a visible foe to point your sword at."

"And you think _you_ can heal it?" The smirk became a sneer as Genesis set the tea cup down.

"No at all. That's why I'm asking if you will work with me, if your fearsome intellect can be counted upon to puzzle out how to fix the mess we've found ourselves in."

* * *

With his vacation over, the clone waved goodbye to the cameras, wished the camera crew good luck, gave them all kudos for being brave and they all shared phone numbers back and forth. Genesis had promised to meet them at the WRO compound even as he rolled his eyes before the wing manifested and he took to the sky, leaving Loz and Yazoo exchanging glances.

"How does he fly like that? There's only one wing!" The burly remnant's lower jaw hung open as he looked back at the rapidly repeating speck on the horizon as his brother hummed thoughtfully.

"Do you think Brother will ever grow one like that?"

"Nu-uh! Brother's gunna grow _two_ and they're gunna be _awesomer_ than that guy's-"

"I already tried wings, honestly. I thought they were cool, but I have no idea how Genesis recalls his own so easily." Raul clasped his hands behind his back, stepping up next to them as a truck pulled up near by. "I both was unable to recall mine in such a fashion, and felt it unfair that I could have wings while the two of you went without, so I got rid of them. I rather find I prefer jackets, and the wings prevented me from wearing so much as a shirt. Our ride's here, shall we?"

Both remnants smiled at the clone, and the three of them turned to head over to where Reno was waving at them from the bed of their ride.


	21. Chapter 21

"You there, Clone-boy. I arrived as promised." Genesis was lounging on one of the cement roadblocks that marked off civilian parking in the wide open lot that sat outside of the WRO compound. Raul shared a glance with Yazoo and shook his head as the truck they were in rolled to a stop. The remnant simply sighed, before swinging out of the vehicle and ambling along the tarmac with Loz in tow, trying to find a suitable location to build a pen.

They had talked about it, and despite the perceived pride Yazoo and Los believed was being trampled by the way Genesis generally spoke down to everyone and everything thing, the clone didn't much care. He had a _plan_ , and both had reluctantly agreed to it. A quick call to Reeve had made sure that the breeding and racing chocobo that Loz had kept were being shipped to the base even as they spoke. Speaking of the Director...

"Ahh, you made good time. I've had a space cleared and your sword delivered, Raul." Tuesti smiled, before dipping into a polite bow as he faced the Crimson Commander. "Genesis. I apologize for not coming out to greet you earlier. I'm sure you remember how much boring paperwork I had to wade through before, and the only thing that's changed is that now I endure it for the betterment of the world."

"Director of Urban Development, wasn't it? Still playing with robots?" Red leather creaked as the ginger former SOLDIER 1st swung down off the concrete, folding his arms.

"You could say that." The smile twitched slightly, and Raul suppressed a laugh as he realized that it was, in fact, actually Reeve standing there. He covered it by climbing down from the bed of the truck and brushing himself off while Tuesti continued. "Please, right this way. Raul phoned ahead and had a few things set up for the two of you."

"Did he." Mako-bright blue eyes narrowed to stare at the clone, who simply patted Reeve on the shoulder and beckoned the ginger to follow him. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"Who could stop you, if you truly wished to leave? I certainly can't fly." Came Raul's amused answer.

The preparations largely consisted of a large space cleared of anything remotely breakable and two cement trucks due to arrive the next morning, not to mention everyone who could cast and hold a materia lined up along the edge of the cleared space. Barrier and restore were the two most common materia, with Loz and Yazoo each settled among the growing crowd to bolster the efforts of those gathered. Their guest was understandably cautious as he followed Raul into the middle, one of the infantry tossing the clone his sword.

"You wanted to fight me on the beach. Ignore them, their only job is to minimize damage to the immediate area."

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Genesis turned slightly to survey the still growing crowd, enhanced hearing undoubtedly picking up the whispers of excitement that passed back and forth.

"My friend, do you fly away now?" Raul drew the Murasame, quoting Loveless at the man who wouldn't, _couldn't_ abandon such a challenge. "To a world that abhors you and I?"

"Act three? Are you calling me a _coward_!?" Incredulity crossed the red-clad swordsman's face, even as he drew his Rapier.

"I wouldn't presume to understand Loveless the way you do, Genesis, but in the immortal words of a very good friend..." The clone leveled his sword, a smirk playing about the corners of his mouth. " _Play with me._ "

Somewhere in the crowd, Loz giggled. It was the only sound that broke the hushed silence of everyone else holding their breath before the red-headed swordsman surged forward, spinning to give his diagonal slash more momentum and sending a shower of sparks cascading across the ground as the clone hit the sword on an angle to slide it aside with a wince. The katana was not a sword designed for practical blocks, after all, and as the sword was a gift from Cloud his best bet at avoiding a strike was to get out of the way entirely or slide it aside. With the force Genesis applied, however...

Only the former was in any way shape or form a good idea, though the sheath had been reinforced and stood the ghost of a chance of standing up to a direct blow. He _knew_ the methods Genesis used to fight, though. Some borrowed part of him had danced this dance countless times.

( ** _He will c_ _ross step, tease the incoming strike aside, and lunge. He will lead with his left, shoulder down, blade back, push off with one foot and spin._** )

( _He -had- this, thank you very much, he remembered the countless sparring matches just -fine- after all, despite not actually participating in them._ )

The Crimson Commander didn't disappoint, stepping forward and to the side before stabbing forward with the Rapier. Raul teased the blade aside, stepped forward to slide his sword down the length of the red blade and popped the sheath forward to prod Genesis in the stomach before retreating under the force of the glare he received. Coiling and lowering his left shoulder, the former SOLDIER 1st charged and planted one foot, spinning and bringing his sword across. It caught only air as the clone ducked under it and then popped back up, smacking the sheath across his opponent's shoulder as he quick-stepped forward and past.

"You-!"

"Me." Raul let his smirk grow, knowing that it made him look like _him_ , knowing that it would anger Genesis. Adjusting his stance, the clone swished the katana through the air and canted his head to the side, the way _he_ would have, only to blur as he bolted forward. A horizontal slash was picked off, along with the flurry of stabs that followed despite how his grimacing opponent was forced back a few steps. "Not what you wanted? When you came to the beach you came blinded by the past."

Genesis snarled, planting himself and knocking the katana wide so that he could snap a hand out and bat aside the incoming sheath and then leap forward and kick out, planting a solid hit on the Raul's chest and kicking off, sending the clone staggering until he caught himself and could stare up at the way the red-headed swordsman was effortlessly keeping aloft with one wing that shifted and beat softly.

"Stop chasing a ghost, Genesis. I could pretend to be him all day, but it would only be a fallacy. A mockery. You are fighting me as if I have a seven foot long katana, leaving holes in your defenses wide enough to ride a chocobo through. A fat one. Fight _me_ , not a memory." The clone took a half-step forward, pointing the Murasame up at the airborn figure who was wearing contemplation across his face as if it was the new hip trend. Reluctantly, Genesis drifted and touched down, the wing curling partially as it folded at his back as he studied Raul before shaking his head and running one hand along the length of his Rapier, leaving a trail of glowing runes in it's wake.

"My friend, the fates are cruel, there are no dreams, no honor remains." Shaking his head, the red-clad swordsman flourished the glowing blade and settled himself into a ready stance, eyes narrowing. "Come then, Clone-boy. Enough of the past. I accept you as the present demands."

Raul mentally filed away the guarded sorrow he could see in his opponents eyes at the words, as if they pained Genesis to say before nodding and pacing in a semicircle. Somewhere behind him, bets were quietly being made and he shifted to start retracing the paced steps he had taken. Mako-bright blue eyes watched him, surprisingly patient as the Crimson Commander remained in his defensive stance with the tip of the Rapier following the clone as he moved.

Well, he had _wanted_ Genesis to look at him and see the clone, not the echo of a once great man driven mad. He had what he had set this up for, anything else was extra at this point. Lifting the Murasame in a salute, Raul charged.

* * *

The clone groaned, slumped over the table in the mess hall. His _bruises_ had bruises. Genesis hadn't exactly gone easy on him, though he liked to think that for every slap of the flat side of the Rapier that sent him stumbling he had blocked, avoided and deflected three more. The former SOLDIER was currently settling into the rooms set aside for him, specifically with window access that was an unspoken token meant to indicate that Genesis was free to come and go as he pleased. Loz and Yazoo flanked him, the former shoveling fries and a burger into his face while the latter kept watch. It didn't seem to much matter what they did, the remnants always kept at least one pair of eyes on the world around them. They were dependable like that.

"I might not be able to race chocobo in the near future anyways, Brother. Reeve's offer to defend this place in the event that Genesis decides to attack people is a good one. We've seen how he fights now. We would certainly be able to delay him, for evacuations or reinforcements." The slender remnant glanced at Raul, smirking and reaching over to adjust the ice pack that was settled on one of the clone's shoulders, courtesy of a particularly brutal overhand chop that had driven him to his knees and would plausibly have cut deep if the former 1st class hadn't turned the blade so that the flat came whumping down instead.

"... Thank you..."

"Are you -sure- you want to keep sparring with him?" Yazoo leaned back, stretching and casually glancing around as he did.

"Him, the two of you, Cloud, Tifa, everyone stronger than the average unenhanced, and as often as I can between managing public relations and _sleep-"_ Surprise-caution flashed through the connection, and the clone lifted his head in time to hear the clatter of a lunch tray as it plopped down in front of him. Reno settled into a chair a moment later, and leaned forward onto his elbows.

"I dunno how ya did it, bud, but he's already agreed to help Tseng look into the materia we keep gettin'."

"I talked to him, like an equal. I treated the person he is like a person. I used my words." Raul laid his head back down, closing his eyes.

"Nah, bud, you don't get it. Zack tried talkin' to him too, and the ended up fightin' with him flyin' off. He even tried again, in Banora, and they ended up just fightin' until he was beat and ended up taken for the Deepground project. How'd you get him t'listen to you?" The turk didn't bother pretending to eat, instead shoving his tray towards Loz who happily added the food there to his own.

"He listened to Sephiroth. That was... One of the few times my face has come in handy. That's all." The clone sighed, debating the wisdom of curling his arms around his head to block out more of the light.

Reno grunted, glancing over as his partner stepped into the mess hall and pushed himself to his feet. "So he's not gunna listen to you any more?"

"If I could tell the future, I'd carry a Cait Sith on my back." Came the arm-muffled response.

* * *

There was a trick to escaping surveillance without getting in trouble. Raul knew for a fact that Tifa's rooms weren't bugged, and that any turks that might shadow him would stay on the other side of the door. Sore as he was, he knew there were still things he had left to do before he could properly find his rest, otherwise the clone knew he would simply stare at the ceiling without sleeping the night as he waited for the opportunity to act.

Besides, Tifa made -remarkably- good coffee. It was how he rationalized heading there just after midnight, hoping that maybe she might still be awake. He could probably escape through her window, shirking any turks, and she could be counted on to cover for him couldn't she? Besides, he needed her advice on a number of things. He approached the door, lifted a hand to knock before hesitating as his hearing caught the edges of some sort of slap. Muffled grunts came from behind the door, coupled with a muted whine. A female voice, Tifa, cried out-

( _Someone was in her room, someone was hurting her-!_ )

The door caved easily as he practically walked through it and froze, green eyes wide. Chocolate eyes turned towards him, widening as Tifa gasped, and blue eyes had reflexively settled on him even as the sweating blond swordsman lunged way from the couch and snapped, startled, into a defensive stance. Clothing was strewn about the room, and the clone blurred for an instant before practically vanishing with the speed he achieved in his retreat.

* * *

Genesis heard a rapid almost skittering sound from where he lounged on the roof with a stolen bottle of wine. He had come up there to watch the sunset and had stayed because the stars were so much _clearer_ here than they had been in Midgar. Just about as clear as anywhere in the deep wilds of the planet, and as he glanced over he caught the blurred form of a black-haired Sephiroth rapidly hauling himself over the edge of the roof-

No, he reminded himself. Clone-boy. What had he called himself? Rawool? Quirking a brow, the red-clad swordsman slowly sat up and rested his elbow against his drawn up knee.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, Clone-boy?"

The clone surged to his feet, startled, only to huff and sink back down. "I had several things of great importance left to do-"

"Sweet _Goddess_ do you even realize how much you sound like him?" Genesis sneered bitterly, eyes narrowing as Raul quirked an eyebrow. "Stop that. Stop... All of that."

"You miss him." The words were soft, spoken gently while the clone shifted and settled more comfortably onto his rump. "The Sephiroth that you knew-"

"My friend, the fates are cruel, there are no dreams, no honor remains." The ginger looked towards his drink, ignoring the repressed sigh as Raul shook his head.

"Act four. The Remnant of the Past you might hear me speak of, I believe that is the Sephiroth that you were looking for. He's still within the lifestream, trying to fight the infection. He... Connects, to me sometimes. No, Genesis, listen to me." The clone held up a hand as the red-clad swordsman opened his mouth before continuing. "We need you. _He_ needs you. I tell you this thing, knowing that if you spread it around that he is more than a remnant similar to Loz and Yazoo that it will reach them and he will be consumed by the insane replacement that attempted to destroy the planet. His greatest defense in this matter is that _thing_ doesn't know his consciousness survived. He did this to me, he stabilized me and prevented me from reaching the Northern Crater. He may not be here, but he isn't gone."

"Why are you telling _me_ this?"

"Because while your words hurt him, he still clung to the memory of your friendship in an attempt to retain his sanity. You are one of the reasons that he fights. You were always one of his friends, one of his SOLDIER's. Someone who supported him and he refused to roll over and die quietly because if he did, then that meant that everyone who stood at his shoulder and at his back was next." Raul lowered his hand, watching Genesis intently. "I inherited his Will in this regard. But I _cannot_ tell everyone everything. All I can do is distract them, but with you... You I can tell these things to. Because you knew him, because you understand."

The ginger pursed his lips before shifting to offer out the bottle of wine. "... You talk far more than he ever did."

"It built up. I intended to unload elsewhere, but..." Sheepishly accepting the bottle, he peered at it for a moment and then narrowed his eyes. "... Is this from Vincent's private stash?"


	22. Chapter 22

Despite saying that the clone had until the end of the bottle to talk, Genesis stayed and listened even after he had finished the final sip. Raul was a particularly forthcoming font of knowledge, succinct and with an eye for the important details that he clearly had 'inherited' from Sephiroth. He went over everything from the meeting in Nibelheim to the way the remnants had surface, reported on the 'ongoing war with the opinions of the general populace' and Rourke, and finished with what he knew of the information being leaked along with the way materia continued to be delivered without a reason seemingly attached. By the time the clone had finished the sky was beginning to turn from the dark blues to the lighter shades of pre-dawn.

"It seems that someone is deliberately trying to sabotage the effort you put in to earn what trust you could. All told, I'd say you've done a surprising job." The red-clad swordsman rolled the glass about by it's edge, looking thoughtful.

"I wish I didn't have to." Laying back against the roof, Raul wrinkled his nose. "I never wanted to be on display to the world, but I understand the necessity. Despite how much I may want to break every camera, shake every person tailing me or destroy any and all surveillance devices used to keep tabs on me, I can't. You never seemed to let it get to you, and that... I try to emulate that."

"You're also applying Sephiroth's dogged determination and overwhelming practicality by abruptly just _doing_ things that you think might help." Genesis sounded exasperated as he dramatically rolled his eyes and turned to watch the horizon. "Within a day of being _shot_ you dug a hole, put a giant rock in it and chiseled names into it by hand."

"I needed to counterattack swiftly-"

"Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest." Lips curling into an amused smirk, the red-clad swordsman waved away what, for the clone, seemed to be his way of suppressing a glare largely by blinking slowly and keeping his face as blank as he could. "Social media isn't that kind of a -war-, though I applaud your efforts so far. The only way you're _close_ to what you've been trying to achieve is if you consider the blast radius of a _grenade_. You're about as subtle as the _Puppy_ was, and not in socially useful ways."

"I forged a social network that Zack would be proud of. I know everyone in this compound and stationed in Kalm as well as Edge by name, their extended families, what ails them and all of them are willing to accept my help." Raul pushed himself up and folded his arms. A scowl was working it's way across his face, despite his best intentions.

"I'm sure that you _think_ you did a good job, but if you did anything other than build a reputation for being a work chocobo I'll eat my left boot."

* * *

They had breakfast in the mess hall, and Raul made it a point to chat people up in the line as Genesis watched, amused. He held Arnold's tray and passed on the regular's order to the chef of the day when Arnold was forced to run and answer his phone, idly mused about when the next shipment of pasta would be in, because the spaghetti they put the peppers from Gongaga in last time certainly wasn't _food_ , it was the equivalent of _lit rocket fuel_ and burned through people's systems just as quickly. Laughs were had, and he progressed through the line before giving Arnold back his tray and smiling softly when the regular beamed at him, thanked him and headed to his table.

Setting down his tray, with it's two waffles and a small carton of milk, the clone lifted his chin and let the edges of a smirk curl his lips upwards as Genesis rolled his eyes and sat down across from him.

"Okay, I will admit that... Wasn't as horrible and stiff as I thought it would be."

"Naturally. Your theory was based off of what you know of Sephiroth, not based off of what you know of me." Mako-bright green eyes glittered with suppressed mirth as Raul kept his tone mild. "I recall you mentioning something about eating your boot..."

"Oh _stuff_ it."

* * *

The day turned into two days, before blending into a week of cautious adjustment. Largely, it felt good to have the red-clad swordsman back, despite having to remind himself that Raul never _had_ Genesis in the first place. The former first had been someone to avoid when he had first made it into soldier, and the clone's only memories of the ginger that were truly his own were fear-laden respect as he snuck into the observation deck of one of the virtual training rooms to watch Genesis, Angeal, Sephiroth and Zack doing... Whatever they were doing. Largely killing time, easing boredom and giving Angeal pointers about how to train his student.

It gave the clone a unique then and now perspective, picking out the subtle ways the red-clad swordsman had changed and other, more obvious ways that he had stayed the same. It also meant that Raul caught himself taking certain things for granted, a habit he was quick to shake once he realized it, and while he _did_ prefer if Genesis took the proverbial spotlight it was certainly _not_ okay for the clone to disappear. He had a public image to maintain, after all, and with surprisingly subtle guidance he felt he was doing better at it.

Still, that public image was being eroded by the mob of reporters and journalists that mobbed him the moment he entered or exited the WRO compound.

"Is it true that you have Sephiroth's memories?"

"How thin is the line between you and Sephiroth?"

"What's to stop you from going crazy, considering you have a vast amount of Jenova cells within you?"

Certainly not the microphones that they kept shoving into his face, he thought to himself, but he verbally answered each question as best as he could. He tried to remain truthful, considering anything that he lied about would inevitably be used against him. Yes, he had some of Sephiroth's memories. The line was as vast as the continents, considering they were two completely different people. What would keep him from going crazy was meditation, exercise and the support of his friends in the WRO.

"Clone-boy! There you are." A red-clad figure touched down next to him, sneered at the press before snagging Raul by the back of the shirt. "Reeve sent me to get you, since you're both _late_ and neglecting to answer your phone."

And just like that, the black wing flexed and rocketed them both up into the sky before they drifted and touched down gently within the compound's courtyard.

"Thank you."

" _Why_ you let them corner you like that is _beyond_ me." Genesis sat down on one of the concrete slabs, huffing and shaking his head.

"There isn't actually anything Reeve needed me for, is there." The clone smiled softly as he adjusted his clothes. Thankfully, the shirt hadn't ripped though the collar was now somewhat stretched.

"There is, but with the situation at the gate I thought it best to retrieve you myself and give you a moment. Be thankful that I learned how to read the subtlest of body language." The ginger waved a hand, looking back towards the closed gate. "They're as ruthless as ever."

"My hero. I needed that rescue. Here. I've been meaning to give this to you for a few days now." Pulling a small rectangular box from his back pocket, Raul offered it out and let his smile grow as Genesis irritably took it, opened it and froze. Gloved fingers traced across the battered leather book cover before the red-clad swordsman lifted his gaze to the now openly grinning clone.

"There is no hate, only joy, for you are beloved by the goddess. Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds."

Genesis worked his jaw for a moment, trying to find words before slowly speaking. "Is this...?"

"It was collected from Banora and locked away with the reports. The turks may not work for me, but I like to think I hold a semblance of friendship with them."

* * *

"Genesis believes he might have found a reason why people are delivering materia to us." Reeve sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes as if doing so would get rid of the bags that had collected beneath them. Tifa, Cloud, Yazoo, Vincent and Raul all looked towards where the former first sat on the edge of the table, looking smug.

"Materia is, in essence, condensed lifestream. Something the planet seems to be running short of. I believe that people are bringing the materia here to save the planet." Genesis lifted his chin, smirking.

"... We came to much the same conclusion." Yazoo drawled from where he was slowly swinging his chair in circles.

"All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow." The smirk had vanished from the red-clad swordsman's face, but he shook his head and looked towards the rest of them. "My meaning was, as usual, missed. The planet is running out of lifestream, isn't it? Bled almost dry by Shinra, and then forced to fight off a meteor. What's left is sick, diseased, being fed on and tainted by a parasite. Birth rates are down, for everything. Plants, animals, and people. There just isn't enough left to go around, and what is materia? Condensed, _pure_ lifestream."

"Act three. So you're saying we need to find a way to return the materia to the planet." The clone sat back in his chair, uncomfortable with how he had been seated directly between the brown-haired fighter and the blond swordsman but doing his best to appear unphased. "I don't suppose it might be as easy as dropping them down the holes created by the mako reactors, is it?"

"The alternative is to break them, but that might make them explode." Cloud rested his elbows on the table, frowning faintly. "I could... Go to the church, see if I can get Aerith to talk to me. It's... Never worked that way before, though, she always reached out to me. And I've tried."

"There may be a way to unbind materia." Tseng's voice startled everyone except Reeve, though the rest of the room tried to play it off as if they had all known he was there the whole time. "Looking into the methods Shinra used for materia fusion, it wouldn't be too hard to come up with something. But, I have a matter of importance to discuss otherwise. Genesis."

All eyes went from the turk to the former soldier first, who narrowed his eyes.

"Your copies are still active. You have the equivalent of a standing army. What are your intentions regarding this matter?" Tseng's words weren't a threat. They were a mild statement and question, and the red-clad swordsman found himself internally applauding the turk's bravery. He probably thought that pointing out the copies while surrounded by physically powerful people would increase his chances of survival, and had weighed it against secretly sharing the knowledge with the others. That was, of course, assuming he hadn't already.

"I have -maybe- two dozen copies, including the handful of animal-based ones that Hollander made." The former first's eyes narrowed as Tseng quirked a brow.

"Thirty one, scattered about the Eastern Continent, Western Continent, and Wutai. Six stationed outside of this very compound." The turk could have been talking about the weather, for all the unruffled blandness that his tone held.

"Tseng..." Raul pushed himself to his feet, stepping around the blond swordsman and stifling his relief at no longer being flanked by the people he had attempted to avoid. "It's the same as when you were first starting to trust me. You kept people on hand, people who could neutralize me, or at least slow me down until you had a better grasp of the situation and where I fit into it."

"This is different-" Cloud pushed himself to his feet as well, though he paused as the clone turned to quirk a brow at him.

"Constant surveillance. My rooms, laced with equipment to monitor my every move. The turks, tailing me openly and covertly. Or is it acceptable considering I look like one of the 'bad guys'." Raul folded his arms. "Genesis has his own forces, that he uses at his own discretion. I would _hope_ that his goals aligned with ours, and that his deployment of them was for the betterment of the world at large, but as he is effectively a mercenary working with the WRO and was previously hunted, persecuted and tracked down with the intent to end his life - by the very people who largely now work for the WRO - I believe he is well within his right to ensure he has a backup plan in the event that someone gets it into their head that he is an enemy. What he is doing is no more than what you and your associates have."

The blond swordsman was silent for a moment, tense as he tried to come up with a response when Reeve propped his elbow on the table and braced his chin atop his palm, opening his mouth to speak. "A fair and valid point. The difference is we know that you're a clone. Our concern was that you would believe yourself to be Sephiroth the way Cloud believed himself to be Zack, whereas we have definitive proof that Genesis can and will hurt people. What do you propose, as a way to peacefully settle this Raul?"

"Let one of the enhanced that we have on hand act as a potential balance. It is a matter of personal security, after all. Extend a measure of trust that he isn't about to send all of our hard work tumbling into the abyss. His goal is to protect the world in the absence of Angeal and Sephiroth. Let him give forth his best effort."

"I assume you are volunteering for this job?" Vincent's voice rumbled across the room.


	23. Chapter 23

Yazoo and Vincent agreed to swap out with him when it came to keeping an eye on Genesis who was, understandably, not happy with the situation. Raul didn't have the energy to convince him it was the best compromise he was going to _get_ with the WRO, and that in three months enough would likely have happened to remove the need for anyone to keep an eye on him. Instead he ordered the most expensive twelve bottles of wine he could find and made Reeve pay for it, while dropping rather unsubtle hints that a Loveless performance would go a long way to sooth bruised egos and bribe sensibilities. That done, he retreated to his rooms and paused as he crossed the threshold, finding his living room filled with turks.

He fought down the urge to sigh, narrowed his eyes to better study the lables on the pizza and sauntered over to kidnap one box in particular.

"Aww maaan, the four cheese? Really?" The red-headed turk glanced up from where he was dealing cards to Rude, Elena and Tseng. The latter two exchanged glances before the black-haired turk held out a hand, causing his partner to groan and dig out her wallet. Gil exchanged hands.

"Trespassers to pay the pizza fine, Reno." Plopping himself down on the carpet - if this was going to continue to be a _thing_ he'd have to invest in more chairs - the clone opened the box and started to graciously stuff his face with the carb-loaded cheesy mass of bribery that he had the sneaking suspicion had been Tseng's idea.

"So, 'bout Genesis... We just wanted to say thank's for steppin' up to the plate like that." The red-head's eyes flit over to Raul before settling back on his cards. "Made a lotta things easier for us, y'know?"

"I wondered what Tseng was up to. Usually you Turks are a lot more subtle."

"We tried sneaking up on him." The bald turk discarded a card and drew a new one from the deck in the middle, subtly palming a second as he did.

Elena squinted, before also discarding (two, one more subtle than the other) and drawing another card. "Yeah, it didn't work. He just flew away."

"So we needed you t'volunteer." Reno drew a card, discarded one and then laid his hand out to the blonde turk's groan and the black haired turk's suppressed sigh.. "Thirty one, suckers. Pay up, Tseng's turn t'deal."

"You could have just asked. Making it a spectacle like that, it's only going to make him more skittish. What are you playing?" The clone leaned slightly to peer at the table, quirking an eyebrow when all players except Reno slid a single gil into the pile in the center.

"Thirty one." Came Tseng's easy reply as he gathered up the cards and ignored the way extra ones seemed to be materializing in the deck. "It was a necessary gamble. By stating so obviously that we are watching him, you leapt to his his defense. This ensured that you would be the one to volunteer."

"Yeah bud, you got an exploitable habit there, actin' all noble. Stickin' up for those who got even the slimmest chance of workin' with you instead of against you." The red-headed turk grinned sheepishly, collecting his cards and innocently sliding an ace into his hand. He shifted on the couch to cover the motion, before glancing down his cards. "Like some kinda _hero_."

"Product working as intended." Raul wasn't enough of a monster to speak with a mouthful of food _,_ carefully chewing, swallowing and then speaking before stuffing his mouth full of more supremely cheesy pizza and repeating the process as the assembled turks cheated and prepared their hands. After a moment, the blonde turk knocked lightly on the table, skipping her round and giving everyone else one last chance to fix their cards. "... Why are you all still here then, if a half-hearted apology was the reason for your visit?"

"Your phone." Rude held out one hand, and the clone suppressed another sigh as he obligingly dug it out and tossed it over. The bald turk passed it to Elena, who set her cards down with a smirk and a 'three of a kind!' and drew out her own phone and a cord as the red-head (with the lowest hand by one) muttered glumly and slid a gil into the pile. She spent a moment connecting the two phones and then tapped away as Rude collected the cards and started shuffling them.

"We also heard about what happened, bud. That's never easy, yeah? SOLDIER doesn't exist any more, but you're basically one've us." Reno left his cards on the table along with the others, all waiting for the blonde turk to finish before they resumed the game. It gave both bald and black haired turks a chance to collect some pizza and eat.

"I'm sure it's nothing new for you, but you have me at something of a loss." One hand came up to catch his phone once Elena had finished and unplugged it from her own, though he almost fumbled it when the red-headed turk snorted.

"Tifa and Cloud, yeah? We got footage of a weird-ass blur that stretched from the hallway their room's on to the upper vent window in the main stairwell. Takin' shutter roll into account, we couldn't get much of a picture on who it was but considerin' Yazoo and Loz were in the main gym only one other person it coulda been. You made that trip in about thirty six seconds, and that's mostly 'cause you were carefully openin' doors." Reno shook his head, snagging a bottle of pop and setting it down closer to the clone. "As I said, you're basically one've us, so we're here to help get your mind off it, bud."

"What about Rufus?"

Raul looked at the pop, looked at the pizza, studied each of the turks and then frowned at the cards.

"... How _do_ you play this 'thirty one', then?"

* * *

He didn't sleep that night, but neither did any of his guests. It was five in the morning before they all packed up and headed off to wherever their own rooms were, waving and leaving him to the unusual silence of his rooms. The electrical hum of appliances continued in the background, however something was missing. A number of things, actually.

The painting with subtle cameras for eyes had been replaced with an exact replica that was just a regular painting. The end table lacked the tiny bumps of microphones along the underside. Checking the vent revealed it to be clear of electronics as well, save for a motion sensor that blinked a red light at him. The fire alarm was just that, a regular sensor to make sure that, in the event of a fire, everyone within earshot knew about it. A quick check of his counter, sink, cupboards, fridge and microwave turned up nothing unusual.

Even the bedroom was clear of them, though his search turned up an entirely unexpected magazine featuring buxom, barely dressed women on the cover. He stuffed it back in the sock drawer he had discovered it in, feeling the way his face heated up spreading to his ears. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Raul wondered what else being 'one of us' might entail when it came to the turks, and if he was being adopted against his will into the position or if he was simply being eased into the social circle. They were turks, however, so he tried not to read too much into it.

His clock beeped, signaling 0600 hours, and the clone sighed. Time to start a new day.

* * *

The red sword came down in an overhead chop, turning to present the flat of the blade and just narrowly being dodged as the clone abruptly spun. The katana came up and he surged forward, tip aimed for the red-clad shoulder of his opponent-

A booted foot caught his arm as his opponent spun as well, knocking his strike wide before a hand covered his face and shoved him backwards. "Too slow!"

Raul took a moment to catch his breath as he caught his balance, eyeing Genesis. Where he was exhausted, the red-clad former 1st was breathing hard and breaking a sweat. To be expected, considering they had started sparring some four hours ago. "Food break? Showers first?"

"Finally, the Clone-boy speaks sense!" Genesis rolled his eyes before sheathing his Rapier, dusting himself off and producing his wing with a rush of feathers and displaced air. He offered his hand out and then sighed in exasperation when Raul blinked at it. "Well? Are you coming or not? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on me, after all."

Reluctantly, the clone accepted the hand and grunted as he was hauled off his feet and into the air, both of them winging back to the red-clad swordsman's quarters by way of the window. Genesis took to the shower as Raul ducked out, headed down the hall and into his own quarters. They met back up in the former soldier 1st's quarters as Genesis hung up the phone and went to lounge across his couch.

"Food's on the way. I _hope_ they send something decent up."

"It's a Thursday. That means spaghetti in bulk." The clone stretched out on the plush carpet, sighing and groaning at the ache in his muscles. "Perhaps next time, three hours maximum?"

"My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey... -You- insisted on continuing. I was -fine- to stop after the first hour. You're not the -only- one who's sore."

"Act... Two?" Green eyes narrowed in thought as Raul's lips thinned into a line.

"Four, Clone-Boy. I also understand that you're the mastermind behind the LOVELESS performance that's to be put on in a month and a half. Busy little bee, aren't you. One might even think that you're avoiding something. Or someone. You didn't volunteer for this gig out of the kindness of your heart." Genesis shifted slightly, rolling his head to eye where the clone was folding his arms.

"I don't know where you think you might have come to that conclusion-"

"You _barely_ know me, yet you leapt at the opportunity to be my babysitter." Blue eyes narrowed before the red-clad swordsman lobbed the pillow over the standard-issue coffee table towards Raul, who grunted when it impacted in a particularly unconvincing show of pain. "I can't help but think it was less because of _me_ and because of something I don't know. You seemed awfully quick to get out from between the two Niebelheimers."

"... It's n-"

" _Goddess above_ if you say it's nothing, I'll kick you out of my room and eat the mountain of spaghetti I've apparently ordered by myself, making you go and get your own Hel-damned food." A second pillow was lobbed up and over the coffee table, landing and drawing a huff from it's target who lobbed one back.

"Fine. The turks are low-key attempting to recruit me. The world cannot decide whether to hate me or nor. Reeve declined my request for a reinforced scarf. I have -never- beaten Cloud in any of our spars, and Tifa, the one person I would normally go to for advice is no longer available for such a thing. This means I cannot ask her about the turks, get an idea where a human's mindset ought to be nor-" Genesis sputtered, cutting Raul off mid-sentence and drawing an irritated look from the prone clone.

"A _girl_? This is about a _girl_?"

Raul was spared from having to dignify the accusation with a response as someone knocked on the door.

* * *

"I can understand why you might like the brunette that way. Still, a -very- backwater choice." Genesis mused from where he was surrounded by half-empty takeout containers, smirking at the glare he received.

"It was never like that between us. She is a competent fighter, intelligent-"

"-Well endowed." The former soldier 1st's smirk grew viciously as the glare sharpened. "I knew there was at least -some- Sephiroth in there somewhere."

"She was my moral touchstone and compass, Genesis. What I based my sense of humanity off of." Raul's voice was flat.

"What happened then? Did she push you away and call you a monster?" Bland amusement covered the resentment that Genesis tried to disguise with another forkful of food, only to spit it out as the clone muttered under his breath. He coughed, snagged the bottle of wine he had opened when the food had arrived and chugged to clear his throat of the unexpected blockage of spaghetti, catching his breath a moment later. A smug smirk crossed the red-clad swordsman's face as he leaned forward and gestured with the bottle. "And you -ran-? That explains why you were so red when we met on the roof. My friend, the fates are cruel..."

"For the last time, I do not -fancy- her in the manner you believe I do." Focusing on his food, Raul picked one of the meatballs out and rolled it around in the container. "We were... Friends. That is all."

"There was a woman that Sephiroth found attractive once. Do you know what he did?" The fork was stabbed towards the clone as Genesis refilled his half-empty cup with his off hand, eyeing his company critically. At the way Raul rolled his eyes he stabbed the air once more with the fork. "-Nothing-. He did nothing. He buried himself in his work, avoided her and society at large and practically lived in his office for a full two months before Angeal, Zack and I dug him out of there. And he _still_ moped for a good three weeks after that. He missed the one, singular opportunity that had magically fallen into his lap, ignored biology and remained alone. You said you want to prove that you're not him? Way to make a distinction by... Throwing yourself into your work, and avoiding her."

"Look, I-"

"Answer this one question, and I'll drop the subject. I swear it, on the book you returned to me." The red-clad swordsman shifted the container off of his lap, shifting onto the edge of the couch and resting his forearms against the coffee table so that he could peer over at where the clone was scowling and red across the cheeks. "Have you, or have you not ever thought of her as _yours_?"

Raul narrowed his eyes before abruptly looking away. "... _Everyone_ who works for the WRO is _mine_ , Genesis. My people, my brothers and sisters in arms and my backup."

True to his word, the former 1st class raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and lightly threw himself back onto the seat of the couch properly, collecting his food.


	24. Chapter 24

"Raul-"

_The chair scooted back at the familiar, female voice that was laced with concern and he was **gone**..._

"-keeps avoiding me, he ran away-"

_He abruptly backtracked from the corner he had almost rounded. Thank goodness for enhanced hearing..._

"Hey-"

_The blond swordsman tried to keep pace with the abrupt blur the clone had become, but Raul lost him on the corners-_

"You need to talk to them."

_Red eyes stared him down from where he had been tracked to the roof, and the gunman folded his arms, the hardest person to avoid out of all of them._

* * *

The clone heard her voice through the door of his room, over the soft tones of the music he was playing on his phone. A casual glance proved it was locked, and so he looked back at his book.

_"Raul, I know you're in there. Please answer the door."_

A casual swipe of his thumb across the volume button gave him a very good excuse to say he hadn't heard her. A strong hand knocked against the door, louder this time, and he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the bathroom. Maybe if he turned on the shower, she would hear it and go away. Or not, as the front door caved in abruptly as he opened the door to the bathroom.

( _Quick, do something embarrassing, so that she'll leave!_ )

( _Too late, it was far too late..._ )

"Um... Sorry about the door, but... Look I-I just want to talk, okay? It's been a month since we last saw each other, and I wanted... I wanted to make sure you were okay." Tifa had the grace to look sheepish through the hole in the door as she reached through and unlocked it. Swinging it open, she dusted off her hands and then adjusted her gloves as she watched the clone consider his options.

Bathroom, bedroom, or stand and face the incoming tide like a man regardless of how much he wanted to get his feet wet.

( _She'd just break down the doors anyways, wouldn't she?_ )

"I shouldn't have gone to your rooms at such a late hour. For this, I apologize." Raul inclined his head slightly, mustering his dignity and clasping his hands behind his back as he subconsciously assumed an at ease stance. "It will not happen again."

"Raul, that's... I don't have a problem with you stopping by to visit at odd hours. I know... That what you saw might be difficult-"

"Out of everyone, you and Mister Cloud have always been close. It was rumoured. I should have assumed-"

Tifa put up one hand, and the clone glanced away, clearing his throat awkwardly and missing the small smile that had started to cross her face. "Genesis said you have a strong protective instinct, and that you probably broke down the door because you thought I might have been attacked."

" _Did_ he." Raul carefully kept his face blank, the mental image of the red-clad swordsman smirking over the edge of his LOVELESS book flashing through his mind. He looked forward to determining what the proper retaliation would be.

"Raul... You're doing it again. You're face is all blank. Talk to me." Concern laced Tifa's voice, and he grimaced before reaching up to idly tap some of the beads that weighed down his bangs.

"... Very well. I suppose the polite thing to do is to offer you a coffee while you're here."

* * *

They didn't say much to each other as he prepped the coffee machine and settled a mug in place to catch the inevitable stream of coffee. Tifa had sorted through the shelves and cupboards and eventually found his roll of duct tape and started patching the hole she had put in the door with an efficiency that spoke of practice, and settled on the couch once she was done. It wasn't much longer before Raul ambled over and set one of the full mugs in front of her and sat down on the armchair. They each sipped their drinks, though it was the clone who broke the silence first.

"When I... When I barged in, I did indeed think that you were under attack. I've thought of you as a fighter for so long, that it... Came as a shock, this abrupt reminder that you are, in fact, a woman as well." Raul winced, realizing how that sounded and setting down his cup to hastily continue as his guest snorted. "I've always _known_ you are female, how can I not? But it was not as... _Important_. The same for Miss Elena and Miss Yuffie. Fighters first, women second, a contrast to Marlene and Denzel who are teenager first, male and female second. The... The most relevant moniker comes first. For example, if I had to choose between rescuing Miss Yuffie and Denzel, because Miss Yuffie is a fighter first and Denzel is a teenager first, gender does not factor. I would attempt to get to Denzel."

"And this embarrassed you? Gaia, you should have seen the shades of red Cloud turned." She giggled, cupping a hand over her face as she remembered.

"I... I don't... _Think_ about physical, intimate relations. After waking in the Sleeping Forest, I was more Sephiroth than myself and it was certainly a topic that _he_ avoided. Before, I was never... I was always too clumsy, too gangly, too..." The clone grimaced, trying to cover it with a sip of coffee.

"So the rumours were right. You _do_ remember who you were." The fighter leaned, tucking her elbows onto her knees and clasping her hands.

"Of course. I would have even tried to go back to who I was, except that any focused alterations to my face and hair are utterly temporary and revert to the baseline of... Well, _this_." Raul gestured to his face, before setting his mug down and idly turning it to point the handle this way and that. It was a safer topic, certainly, than the one he was still trying to hide from. "Once I realized this, I decided to remain as 'Raul' to better conserve my internal resources, until my mission is complete."

"Mission?"

"Jenova. Even if I wasn't a Sephiroth clone, as SOLDIER it was my duty to use the strength I gained to fight for what I believed was right. The parasite, killing the world must be stopped. Shinra was the same way, and I wanted to change it from the inside. I was going to make SOLDIER 1st, and then people would have to listen to me." The clone's lips pulled into a humourless smirk as he shook his head. "Instead, I made it to SOLDIER 3rd and then... Well, Professor Hojo was -very- good at making people disappear."

"What was your name? It doesn't sound like it was actually Raul." Tifa picked up her coffee and took a sip.

Raul's bitter smirk turned genuine and eased into a smile. A comfortable baseline of conversation had cleared the worst of the awkward, tense atmosphere away, and for the moment it was just like 'old' times. Leaning forward, he beckoned for her to meet him part way and when she did, murmured softly to her. The fighter's eyes widened and she snickered, clapping a hand over her mouth. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. I'd be the laughingstock of the compound."

"I promise, I promise..."

"I don't..." The clone sighed, taking advantage of the light mood to face the reason Tifa had punched a hole in his door in the first place. She sobered quickly, lifting her mug to take a quiet sip. "... If you're happy, with Cloud, I don't... I don't want to get in the way of that. But know that I have always considered you as a strong, competent individual, and I... I envy, the way you always face like head on, with your shoulders squared. Implacable in your relentless pursuit of what I can only call the greater good. You look at people, and you see them. You try, always, to do the right thing, and I... It isn't as if I ever gave you any indication that I was _interested_ , so I have no right to be upset. It was wrong of me to avoid you."

The fighter set down her coffee, smiling sadly. "It's... Complicated, between us."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Tifa. I will do my very best to support you, just as you have supported me." Raul reached out to clasp one of her hands gently, smoothing his thumb over the back of her fingers as he studied the texture. Thick knuckled, scarred and rough with callouses her hands told a story of practical application and hard-won strength. His solemn expression turned somewhat sheepish. "If that means working twice as hard to beat Cloud into the ground in the event that he wrongs you and you are too grief-stricken to handle the matter yourself, well... I cannot be blamed for this thing."

She laughed, and to him it was a beautiful sound indeed.

* * *

It would have been impossible if he wasn't enhanced. That he knew the turks helped too, Genesis never left his window unlocked. After scaling the outside of the building, the clone anchored himself and pulled out the wide roll of industrial clear plastic wrap and the bottle of rubber cement, and then eased the window open. Certainly, Reno and Rude were in the main floor gym sparring with his prey to buy him time, but one never -could- tell when the former soldier 1st would get bored.

It took fifteen minutes to wrap everything in a thick cocoon of plastic wrap. Couch, kitchen appliances, book shelf, lamps, the faucets and shower head, everything that he could get his hands on. Each pillow individually, the bed, the bed -after- he had replaced the blankets and across each of the doorways as well. The final touch was when he re-anchored himself outside the window, applied the rubber cement around the inside of the window and then carefully stuck the last of the plastic wrap in a single layer across there, too. The material sagged a little bit from where he had been forced to pinch it so that he could pull it against the glue and hold it without having to be on the inside of the room.

Teasing the window shut, he surveyed his work and smirked before picking his way down the side of the building.

* * *

"Raul." Cloud's voice elicited a mildly curious hum from Raul as the clone continued stretching where he stood in the smaller, second floor gym. "I-"

"I was startled, and it was very awkward, and I believe we should never speak of it again. Your relationships are none of my business, and it changes nothing. I have recovered from my shock, and simply hope that I never have to see you naked again. I might become jealous, should I have to endure comparing myself once more." Turning, Raul waggled his eyebrows at the blond swordsman that was rapidly turning red. "Now then, I have a spar with Loz, but if you would like to spar later I would not be adverse."

It had the intended effect, with Cloud nodding mutely and hurrying off to make his own escape as the burly remnant ambled over from where he had been playing basketball and blinked.

"Where is Brother going?"

"I lied and told him we were going to spar so that I wouldn't have to endure the awkward conversation that was sure to follow. Would you like to go a round or two?" The clone turned and quirked a brow at Loz, who mulled the matter over in his mind before beaming.

* * *

"CLONE-BOY!"

Raul was distracted by the wrath-filled bellow that echoed through the gym, missing the cue to block and instead catching the burly remnant's fist squarely with his face. It wasn't quite high enough to break his nose, but it split both of his lips and sent him staggering back as Loz snapped his hands up and panicked.

"Brother! I didn't mean to! Are you okay?!"

"M'fine." Lifting a hand to assess the damage, the clone felt around his face to make sure he wasn't about to lose any teeth and sent _reassurance-amusement_ through his connection to the burly remnant while the red-clad swordsman stormed across the floor, gesturing with one of his plastic-wrapped bottles of wine.

"Someone has gone into my _rooms!_ As my liaison with the WRO I _demand_ that you catch whoever dared to do this and bring them to justice!"

Loz held up a hand, focusing for a moment and sending the soothing ripples of a cure through the clone, who nodded in thanks and then turned to peer at Genesis.

"What happened?" Raul wiped some of the blood away with his scarf and then wiggled his nose, trying to work through the remaining ache even as he studied the red-headed former 1st.

"This! When I returned to my rooms to enjoy a victory drink I was almost _KILLED_ by my window! And then I noticed that _EVERYTHING_ was- was like this!" The bottle of wine was brandished once more, and the clone had to lean back slightly to avoid getting hit with it in the face.

"Okay, alright, I understand. I'll get on, as soon as I can. In the meantime, however, tell me if anything was missing. Then I can report it as a theft, and recruit others to look into the matter." Patting the air, Raul worked hard to keep the smirk off of his face as Loz glanced between the two.


	25. Chapter 25

"And you're sure this will work?" Raul studied the veritable crate of materia that had been gathered, ignoring the scoff-laden roll of the eyes that Genesis undoubtedly shot his way. Carefully, he picked through them and hummed to himself.

"The theory's _sound_. One of my copies tested it in the Nibelheim reactor and nothing -bad- happened."

"You mean to say, that one of your copies made the plunge, stopped just above the surface of whatever mako it found there and then lobbed in as much materia as it could with little to no reaction." The clone patiently turned and reached out to collect the next crate being handed up to him, only to settle it next to the previous one.

"There were swirls of green! And not _acid_ green, either. Pearly green." The red-clad swordsman stacked a similar crate on top of one that made up the rapidly expanding base layer. "I don't see _you_ coming up with any ideas."

"Actually, I have. It simply is going to take longer than we have to implement. Unless you suddenly have a way for machines to discern and separate Jenova-tainted Mako from the rest of the lifestream, my idea was to burn her out of the planet the way we were burning the lifestream. As a fuel." Raul stepped down from the bed of the truck, accepting the final crate and passing it up to the former soldier 1st, who promptly stacked it and hopped down.

"You -do- realize that the mako reactors were also polluting the air, right? Sure most of it was burned but there was still a great deal pumped into the air." Genesis pushed the back of the truck closed.

"At a three percent ratio." The clone reached out to lightly thump the side of the truck, waving at the driver as they started the vehicle and then began to pull away. "Certainly, that means it would still be here, but with time Jenova would be burned out of the planet. A consumed resource. Even if we didn't burn it out of the planet, we could drain it out, siphon it and store it for destruction later. This would prevent it from entering the atmosphere."

"Your plan is still full of flaws." The red-clad swordsman stretched idly, arms raised over his head before dropping down to his sides and swinging.

"It doesn't account for the Jenova cells currently in circulation, you are correct. For that, something like a vaccine would be preferable. Of course, if we had something similar to a vaccine we could simply replicate it on a large scale and pump it into the planet. These are all theories. We have a handful of problems and lack the research required to fix them." Raul turned and started heading back towards the compound, nodding to a few of the on site WRO staff members and glancing back to make sure Genesis was following him. He was, fortunately, and ambled a little faster to fall into step.

"Wasn't there something in the reports about some manner of water that cured Geostigma? Didn't that neutralize the Jenova cells?" The former soldier 1st frowned, lifting both hands so that he could tap his fingers together in front of his face like some sort of evil villain coming up with a plan.

"Aerith's Healing Rain, a temporary spread of rain and a pool that remains. It did, but our supplies of such are limited. As it seems to be some manner of limit break, it appears to be nigh impossible to replicate. Such things _are_ unique to the individual, after all. There is also the fact that she cast it from within the lifestream. It's theorized that if she could do it on such a large scale, she would have already. This also, studies show, did not remove the Jenova cells but instead simply cured them and rendered these cells inert. Those who had Geostigma still had it in their system afte-" The clone paused, mid-step, and settled to a more natural halt a second later. "Excuse me, I've struck upon an idea."

And then he was gone.

* * *

Frantic scribbling as notes were taken and compared between books and reports that covered the floor was the only sound in the room to the unenhanced ear. Those with more sensitive hearing could likely pick up the sound of a recording being played through headphones as Raul worked through yet another voice recording. A small pile of empty take-out containers were stacked neatly by the door, and despite the clutter everything still maintained a semblance of neatness and order.

Geostigma was the body overcompensating for Jenova cells within the body. Those cells remained behind, as noted by how Deepground had garnered a method of picking out those who lacked such remnants, which was how they had cultivated a dramatic increase in the 'pure' portion of the lifestream. They _had_ the technology and ability to discern where the Jenova cells were, if only in living people. If this could be used on a grander scale...

Tainted, versus corrupted. What was the difference? Jenova's _taint_ versus naturally occurring _corrupt_ lifestream. What caused this corruption? The cause of Jenova's taint was clearly the parasite but the best research available was Lucrecia Crescent's and that didn't go into much detail beyond that it seemed to be stagnant somehow. Chaos, from what he could glean, was formed when enough corrupted lifestream was gathered in one spot. So, it was safe to assume that if he could glean anything about the nature of Chaos he might be able discern what similarities and differences there might be.

If the planet could spit out specific, corrupted portions of the liftestream after all, what stopped it from doing the same with tainted lifestream? Willpower? The planet was a living, breathing thing, so potentially it could be trained to shunt Jenova cells all into one, specific physical location the way it did corrupted lifestream. But any of these ideas would require the ability to communicate back and forth, which was an ability lost with the last of the Cetra.

... Could he train his own cells to act like Cetra cells? _His_ Jenova cells were potentially malleable enough, and already proven inclined to altering themselves according to his will. It ran the risk of opening him up to the wrong all-encompassing influence, but it wasn't as if he was the one and only individual that the world could or would depend upon. The WRO was full of intelligent, dedicated and talented people after all, and if nothing else he'd never managed to beat Cloud fair and square let alone Cloud _and_ and anyone that decided to fight with him.

An alternate angle was to seek out Minerva, the Goddess that was titled as the Will of the Lifestream. Whether she was an actual goddess or some manner of summon pulled directly from the lifestream was a matter of some debate, considering anywhere that she was reported to have appeared there were signals of a particularly strong summon. Taking into account the lore from Wutai regarding Leviathan, it was possible that she was. Though, Raul contemplated, what was the difference? What _was_ the difference between a god and a summon?

Sephiroth had wished to become a god. To do so, he had hoped to inflict a great enough wound on the planet to cause it to gather the lifestream in one location so that he could absorb it and 'ascend'. This in and of itself implied that the prime requisite was simply an excess of power, which any summon worth their salt as well as all of the weapons, including Chaos and Omega could thusly have been classified as gods. If it was immortality...

A summon was immortal, in a sense, considering that on 'death' their manifested body was simply dispersed back into the lifestream to await the next call. What was the measure of their sentience? In some cases it was a simple matter of having the reserves required to fuel the summoning cost of the materia, while in others it was a matter of... A gift? The bird growing atop Fort Condor, it was theorized, was an actual phoenix. Hmm, it blurred the line. Maybe it was different because of the way phoenix downs were rare but obtainable, considering the fact that when a summon disappeared there generally wasn't anything left of it. Phoenix might simply be an outlier in this regard.

Of all the weapons, only Chaos seemed to be immortal. Vincent had, reputedly, died and resurrected when Dr. Crescent stuffed the corrupted lifestream that formed Chaos into him. Even Omega, with the shards of it's body hanging in the sky remaining in orbit for the time being, despite the fact that it was a creature of Gaia-

The clone rubbed his temples, before rapidly jotting things down on a fresh piece of paper, picking his way through the scattered books to find another report. Chaos -and- Omega had both passed beyond the reach of the planet's gravitational pull before Vincent had halted Weiss in his reach for the stars. Did this mean that Omega was the outlier when it came to weapons and wasn't designed to re-distribute itself into the lifestream? Into -a- lifestream? But that didn't make sense, it was meant to shuttle the lifestream from a dying planet-

"... Was Jenova a planet's Omega at one point?" Raul muttered to himself, tapping his pen against the paper a few times. Based on what Sephiroth reportedly said, Jenova had likely hit multiple planets and intended to hit more on her cosmic journey. Still, he was getting off topic.

Omega, really, should have been able to dissolve back into the lifestream. There were reports that it had, in part, done that. There were also reports of flickering red and black based motes of corrupted lifestream, in addition to the stagnant pool of lifestream that Shalua Rui's pod had been found knee-deep within. So if some of Omega did and some of Omega didn't, perhaps it was a matter of momentum. The blow from Chaos had scattered Omega, sending only _some_ of the pieces back into range of the planet, which meant...

That meant there was a finite range before things were out of reach of the lifestream bound to the planet. That meant that, if they could get all of the Jenova cells past the outer atmosphere, it would no longer be reabsorbed into the lifestream. It would, effectively, be out of range. But would it be out of range of -itself-? If only part went up, would the rest be compelled to follow? Would they have people staring at the stars vacantly, or would they have people spontaneously devising ways to travel into space?

The atmosphere was, in theory, eight hundred miles that consisted of the the space between the ground that the average person walked upon to the point where it became 'outer space'. That meant, on average, that it would be less distance than the temple of the ancients that had held the black materia and the northern crater where Sephiroth had flexed his influence. Or... Had he flexed it from such a distance? Had he worked from a closer point, consciousness lurking within the lifestream underneath where the black materia had lain?

He needed to determine how far such a signal could carry. Grimacing, he rubbed his temples and thought long and hard how he might test a few things, place a few delicate questions and get a piece of Omega's body to start falling to the planet from where it hung in orbit.

* * *

"Raul, where you been bud? Nobody's seen you in days. People are startin' to think maybe you'd locked yourself up the way Sephiroth did before he went nuts." Reno casually sliced and cored an apple as he ambled along, having intercepted the clone on his way to Reeve's office with an armful of papers.

"When you hear what I have to say, you may begin to agree with them. I had an idea that tangented and split into a number of different possibilities, some of which are quite outlandish. Is the Director in?" Raul glanced over, before stepping aside as a secretary hustled past with a tray loaded with four properly seated coffees and a fifth nestled between them.

"Sure is. Lemme get the door for ya, bud."


	26. Chapter 26

The meeting with Reeve went as expected. It was all information they already had, and he agreed to look into using the equipment reclaimed from Deepground to see if they could start devising methods to more finely pinpoint Jenova cells. Methods of inoculating people were already in the works, considering Aerith's Healing Rain hadn't reached out past Edge, and Mideel was heading the efforts on that front. Raul couldn't have possibly known, the Director said with a sad smile, considering they were keeping it under wraps. They didn't want the public upset by what some of the people testing the cures had endured.

Genesis, Tseng and Tifa slipped into the room quietly, the red-headed turk having made good on his promise to run and get them and the conversation continued with a renewed round of coffee.

Nobody really knew the difference between corrupted lifestream and tainted lifestream, but Reeve thought maybe Jenova - due to the mindset and temperament that was shown - might have been the equivalent of Chaos as opposed to Omega, considering they didn't have any proof that Omega had made Weiss immortal. Except _yeah, about that,_ slipped from the red-clad swordsman's mouth and he folded his arms.

"What. It's not like you guys told -me- everyone you have on hand."

So Weiss -was- alive, if catatonic, constantly watched over in what Genesis had used as a 'base' by another half-dozen copies. Raul fought to keep his eye from twitching and immediately spread his notes out over every available surface to make adjustments. Tuesti called Vincent and confirmed that the white-haired former host of Omega had, indeed, been dead before the pure lifestream injected into him had brought him back. Genesis promised to test what altitude he could reach before he lost mental connection with his copies, saying it was the least he could do for withholding such information from them. Not without some prodding, of course, and much to Reeve's consternation turned to clamber out of the window. The breeze sent papers flying, and everyone scrambled to catch what they could and place it all back down so that they could continue.

"What happens if all of this succeeds?" Tifa compared two different sets of notes, frowning and leaning over to read what the clone was almost frantically writing down once more. "Say we successfully pull Jenova out of the lifestream and out of everyone."

"I'm of the opinion that she lacks any personal ability to travel through space, hence why she must ride one planet into another. Outside of the atmosphere, we should be able to burn her-... Hmm. There is no oxygen in space, is there. That makes fire... Difficult." Raul paused, frowning and shaking his head with a faint click of beads tapping against one another. "I am -incredibly- confident that we can find a way to kill Jenova if given enough time."

( _He didn't mention the fact that he thought maybe, just maybe he could infect Jenova with his own strain of cells. He wasn't entirely certain he could, but he had a feeling that - since he had been able to somehow give Loz and Yazoo the ability to choose for themselves - it was a possibility. He wanted to test his theory out first, especially if it was just a matter of will power._ )

"All of this has caused me to wonder what level of 'strength' Jenova and Sephiroth have, over their respective cells. We know that it took several days of forced seclusion, coupled with the catalyst of research that may or may not have been tampered with to twist the truth. Jenova did not take Sephiroth over in a matter of minutes, it took a great deal of time." The clone held up the page he was jotting things down on, studying it and nodding to himself. "Three days, and during these days by all accounts Sephiroth neither slept nor ate. While he frequently suffered from insomnia, typically after fourty eight hours without any manner of sleep at all, the immune system becomes compromised and the chance of making risky decisions increases and inflexible reasoning becomes standard."

"Seventy two hours severely limits the ability to think properly." Reeve frowned, leaning back in his chair and stretching. "It also makes you more paranoid and easier to anger. And... It's also when you begin hallucinating."

"Exactly. I think all of these factored into his sudden descent into insanity. Jenova and Hojo had to severely weaken him, before he broke. And he was already cracked by the loss of of his friends, in addition to what Genesis said to him at the reactor. He did not go down, without a fight." Raul turned towards Tifa and Tseng, who were still comparing notes. "Do you agree?"

"What does that have to do with getting Jenova out of the lifestream, into space where we theoretically might be able to kill it and the power level of the WEAPONS?" The fighter frowned, looking up form her notes and blinking at the smug grin across the clone's face.

"It means that anyone with Jenova or Sephiroth cells can act as a pseudo-Cetra for those aspects specifically, if they have the willpower to do so and that if it took three of you to fight a Weapon physically, then for something... Let's call it 'god' level, if baseline five WEAPONS were deemed by the planet enough to neutralize such a threat we would need perhaps fifteen individuals of sufficient will power strategically placed. Of those fifteen, we would really need perhaps... Ten." The clone held the paper out towards Reeve, who took it and studied it for a long moment.

"Why five people less?" Tuesti glanced up as he spoke.

"Because - and please do _not_ let Loz and Yazoo know - we happen to have a very angry, very well rested Sephiroth fully prepared to engage in a mental pincer maneuver with us."

Tifa's frown grew. "The Remnant of the Past you've mentioned? You think he's...?"

"I know he is. I debated sharing this information for a very long time. In the Crystal Cavern, he protected me from the Reunion reaction. This has given me a baseline for the strength of his willpower. I believe that he's remained... Distant, since then, out of a necessity to hide until the proper time to strike." Raul crouched and started gathering up the spread out notes.

"Why are you theorizing about the distance between the planet and when Jenova will be unable to maintain a connection to other Jenova cells, if your plan is to - for lack of a better term - pseudo-Cetra her out of the Lifestream?" Reeve sipped his coffee, sighing contently. "We have a plan now, or the makings of one."

The clone smiled easily. "Are you familiar with the phrase 'the first casualty is always the plan'?"

* * *

Raul didn't have his own office. He was, in essence, a mercenary after all but Reeve lent him desk space when he asked for it which was why he spent the next two days with a chair pulled up to the corner of the Director's desk as he pored over lists of everyone who had been part of the soldier program at one time or another, as well as their last recorded levels of enhancement. Genesis was at the top of that list, as were the copies that he commanded but even he had to admit that the copies lacked the strength of will they needed. Everything about who they were in the past had been stripped away by Hollander, leaving relatively simple minded ants that worked as part of an extended 'hive'. They obeyed Genesis, because the red-clad former 1st could flex his will through the connection and it had a lingering effect.

Their connection was altogether a different one from what the remnants had, and the clone had started thinking of them in terms of frequencies. Two people could shout, standing next to each other but the one with the higher pitched voice was more likely to be heard by an elderly man with a hearing aid, after all. And not very well at that.

Because he had experienced with mental influences, however, that made him one of (if not the most) proficient with defending his own mind against external influences. The next on the list was Cloud, but he was dismissed due to his Jenova cells having already been neutralized by the Healing Rain. This meant that their next best bet was anyone who had been in the soldier program that hadn't defected with Genesis, been captured by Hojo and turned into a clone, and likely hiding in plain sight. It was something of a poorly kept secret that some people in the WRO had eyes that held the glow of Mako.

Six people, all told, four of which he recognized from the altercation with Rourke in the gym. They had formed something of their own community and loosely kept in touch with each other. Reeve jokingly said that it might have been a very small reunion effect, which drew a silent stare that quickly had him focusing on his own paperwork once more.

The clone simply hoped that maybe, just maybe they might know of a few more outside of the WRO that might be willing to help, and that with enough practice he might be able to broach the subject with the remnants to get them in on the plan as well. Of course, that all depended on whether or not he could temporarily smother their connection with the main source. Despite being given the ability to choose, he didn't quite want to risk tipping his hand to the insane _thing_ that lurked behind their eyes.

Paul, Robert, Daryld, Gerald, Sidney and Bryce. He knew all of them passingly of course, he had made it a point to try and network with everyone that worked in the WRO compound and outposts that he had relatively easy access to. When Reeve pulled them from their squads and sent them to the track outside Raul nodded to each as they arrived and lined up in front of the two of them.

"I suspect you have some questions as to why you were all called here." Tuesti clasped his hands behind his back, watching the reactions (what few there were) and shaking his head. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. And despite what you may be thinking, I have no desire to rebuild SOLDIER. I know you recognition each other, having served as 3rd's and - in Sidney's case - as 2nd. Let me assure you, the experiments that led to your enhancements will never be repeated."

"Instead, we have a job for you. Something only those who were in SOLDIER can do. You've all seen the reports coming out about what went into the SOLDIER serum." Reeve paused for effect, looking solemn. "It's true. Each of you have, in some small part, Jenova cells within you. The calamity. The space parasite. Call it what you will, just understand that it, is the enemy. And you, are the only people that we have to try out some ideas we've had on how to pull her out of the planet. Raul."

The clone stepped forward, surveying the former soldiers, and some part of him felt at _home_.

* * *

They managed to keep their activities from the remnants for almost two weeks. During that time Kunsel and Jack came out of the civilian woodwork to join in the training with the assurance that one more had been spoken to about it and, while loath to leave behind the quiet life they had carved out for themselves were considering it. They might have been able to hold out longer if not for the almost insatiable curiosity that haunted them in the form of Loz.

It wasn't his fault, though. With eleven particularly strong individuals constantly gathering together (a periodic twelve but Genesis wasn't exactly mentor material), it was only a matter of time before the burly remnant wanted to play with them. He even stayed off to the side as they stretched and worked with materia, hands in his pockets and a mournful expression on his face until the clone called him over.

"I know what this looks like, but I don't quite know if you're ready to join them." Raul clasped Loz on the shoulder, shaking him gently (for their level of strength, at least) before removing his hand.

"But I wanna play. What they're doing, looks fun! And they're all really strong, so I wouldn't be able to hurt them accidentally." Pleading-sadness hemorrhaged through their connection, and the clone laughed easily and waved a hand.

"How about a test, then. If you can suppress your connection to me, to the point where I can't feel it, and successfully sneak up on me then I'll let you play with them. Tell Yazoo that I extend this same offer to him, as well, and that I look forward to when you both can join us." Raul held out his hand, and after a moment of contemplation the burly remnant beamed and clasped it.

* * *

Genesis had been sent to the ruins of Banora, trying to retrace his steps to see what he could do about contacting Minerva. Vincent had grudgingly spoken about what he knew of Chaos, temperament and composition, and had reluctantly agreed to try and utilize the form Chaos contained within him granted him to see what he could do about the shards of Omega that hung in the sky. Reeve pulled through with the visors that Deepground had used and had a team of engineers working on them to see what they could do about fine-tuning the sensitivity of the equipment with the added benefit of narrowing down where the Jenova cells were, if possible.

The materia crew reported a successful delivery of the stockpiled materia to the center of Midgar, where some of the Genesis copies that could fly had taken the crates and disappeared into the drilled holes that the lifestream had once filled, returning an hour or so later with the empty boxes so that they could be returned and refilled. They couldn't really talk, and so it only after the red-clad swordsman called that they had actual confirmation that the copies had done their jobs with noticeable effects. Oh, and his range (discounting standing orders) covered five and a half hundred feet before it became something largely unusable, but that was only discerned by having one of the copies hover in one place as he flew as far away as he could. He couldn't -breathe- at the altitudes required to test it otherwise, after all. The clone ignored the way 'idiot' had been tacked on at the end of the last text.

Nanaki, who the Director had reached out to, had sent an e-mail with pictures of everything they had relating to Omega to try and help them confirm whether or not Omega had the ability to reabsorb into the lifestream. Or, more accurately, the large red feline had dictated and led the efforts while those with thumbs sent everything. So far, all signs pointed towards yes, which meant that it was potentially a distance thing.

Raul stretched out on the floor of his rooms, staring tiredly at the ceiling as he mentally cataloged everything that was in motion, hoping against hope that his idea might just bear fruit. If nothing else, it allowed him to work beside Tifa and Cloud (who stopped by the grounds and gave the new squad of former soldiers advice on what fighting off a mental compulsion was like) without anything awkward being brought up. Closing his eyes, hoping he might catch a few moments of rest before he had to get up again, the clone drifted off to sleep and opened his eyes to a field of lily-like white and yellow flowers.


	27. Chapter 27

For the perceived size of the garden, there was a remarkable number of people there. The eight that made up the former soldiers that were training and practicing with materia together, Aerith, Cloud, and even Zack. Despite the confusion of some of them, almost everyone there boggled at Zack and stepped up to greet him. The clone almost did too, until a gloved hand settled on his shoulder.

"You've done well." The Remnant of the Past's voice rolled smoothly through the air, and Raul turned to nod and smile slightly.

"It was something of a learning curve, but I feel like I've done my best Sir. What we're doing with the materia, is that...?" Emerald eyes with round pupils studied the silver haired former general, who nodded.

"It is. I was concerned I might not have given you enough to go on, but Miss Aerith assured me that you would figure it out." Feline green eyes shifted to where the half-cetra was giggling at something one of the others had said, taking in the sight. "How is...?"

"He's fine, Sir. He seems much as you remember him, before he started succumbing to degradation. I have to ask, however, isn't calling us all together here like this dangerous?" The clone's brows furrowed as the Remnant of the Past hummed.

"For a moment, the span of a heartbeat, it's safe enough." Stepping forward, the former general clapped his hands to get the attention of those assembled.

"You-" Cloud took a step forward before he was abruptly halted by Zack, who put an arm out to block him.

"It's okay, Spiky. You can talk to Raul about it later, yeah? Alone? Just hear him out."

"I understand, that you all have questions. However, we don't have much time. What time we did have, I frittered away to give you the opportunity to reunite with Fair. Fall in, former SOLDIER's. Let's make this brief. Any questions you have, you'll have to direct towards Raul in the morning." The Remnant of the Past stepped up, clasping his hands behind his back as almost everyone scrambled to take their place in line. "All of you have some idea of what is going on, except I believe for Cloud, who Zack pulled here because - and I quote - he missed him."

The black-haired former 1st shifted ruefully, grinning and rubbing the back of his head.

"For the rest of you, you have a choice. It is one that cannot be forced, that you must make willingly. It's one that Raul made, and that was extended to the Remnants. They both made a similar choice, if to a lesser extent. The amount of Jenova and Sephiroth cells within them makes their case... Delicate. You can choose to do whatever it takes to fight what I became, as well as Jenova, or you can choose to find your own method to do so." Feline green eyes surveyed each of them, before the former general faintly frowned. "You, are all SOLDIER's, with dreams of your own. All I can do is ask for your help to make my dream of a world without Jenova, without Sephiroth true."

"What about you, Sir." Bryce frowned. "You say a world without Sephiroth, but..."

"I've already died. My body washed up at the Northern Crater and was subsequently put out of it's misery, for which I'm thankful. The world is better off without the Demon of Wutai." The Remnant of the Past's smirked. "I digress. We're running out of time. Will you help me?"

* * *

He was barely awake when his door rattled in it's frame under the barely-restrained knock that, more than likely, came from Cloud. Stiff from having slept on the floor, the clone grunted and hauled himself up to see what he could do about coffee as the door rattled in it's frame once more.

_"Cloud. He probably isn't quite awake yet. Give him a moment."_

_"Kunsel, he's been speaking with that bastard and I want answers."_

"You can just open the door, you know. It's not locked. Better that than let you break it down." The strong brew smelled _heavenly_ , he thought to himself as the blond swordsman opened the door and pushed his way in. Kunsel and Bryce were close behind, though how the latter left the door open Raul presumed there might be more on their way. "... If everyone's coming, I don't think I have enough coffee to share."

"I'll take care of it, Raul. Don't worry." Fair's former handler offered with a wave, before placing a call. Thirteen extra large pitch blacks. Called pitch blacks because they were basically extra large cups filled with espresso shots instead of regular coffee. The clone had heard of them before but preferred his Bone Village brand. Presumably, it was said pitch blacks were strong enough to put hair on your chest, whoever 'you' were. Kunsel was probably winking under the low brim of his hat.

"I promise to give you as many answers as I can. Pull up a patch of floor, I suppose." Settling down on the couch, Raul sipped his coffee and tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

* * *

"So our Jenova cells are... Active?" Bryce looked up from the mound of waffles that four of the other former soldiers had brought in boxes only to look back down and steal one. Blueberries? Hmm...

"Yes. But, none of you were afflicted with Geostigma because your bodies were already inoculated against a controlled amount. Sephiroth's cells are close enough to be almost indistinguishable from them." Two cups of coffee and a full box of waffles in, and the clone looked remarkably more awake.

Sidney cleared his throat from where he was currently on toaster duty, slotting more of the frozen disks of deliciousness into place and pressing down on the lever. "So what's the plan then?"

"We trigger our own Reunion in controlled bursts, pulling Jenova out of the Lifestream. The only hiccough we currently have to contend with are what to put the tainted lifestream into, but Reeve believes if we do this at a reactor we might be able to pull it into the storage tanks. Of course, we'll make sure to eliminate the possibility of leakage before we try. In the event that we fail, there are several back up plans in the works." Raul leaned back against the couch, stretching his legs out.

"Why this plan then?" The former soldier on toaster duty turned properly to face the nine others packed into the living room as he asked, face scrunching up.

"I won't say it's the easiest, but it seems to be the most feasible. One of the alternatives is to ask for the intervention of the goddess Minerva. I rate that one at a twelve percent possibility." The clone offered Sidney a rueful smile, and the other nodded sheepishly. "The other two plans simply take too long, but have been set into motion regardless."

"So... We really do just need to keep our heads, stick to our goal and we might have this in the bag?" Bryce frowned at the half-waffle in his hand, contemplating it for a moment before glancing up. Raul smiled tiredly, and nodded.

* * *

'How do you practice shoring up mental defenses' was a question that the clone had long ago tried to answer. There were a few creative solutions but what it really came down to was three key elements. The first was mental strength, which could be honed and practiced by materia use as it was, in essence, the ability to tap into and control the intangible forces that materia granted with the mind. The second was stubbornness, which could be cultivated by determination. The third...

The third was a reason to hold on.

The last one was the most fickle of them all, considering it was incredibly personal. When asked what his was, Raul would say he didn't feel like he had a good enough answer, but inside his heart... Inside his heart lived the names and faces of ten thousand people that had been hurt by Shinra, Geostigma and Jenova. A thousand moments where his mother patted his head and fixed his clothes, because he inevitably ended up with a hundred small scrapes when playing with his friends that tore through his shirts and made the edges of his shorts ragged. There were ten favourite foods that he planned to one day learn how to make before he returned to the one place that was his home.

He had other reasons too, of course. One was a pair of ( _lovely, they were lovely, call them what they were with honesty and integrity_ ) brown eyes that were staring him down knowingly over the edge of her cards. Reno and Rude made up the other two who were sitting kitty corner to them, the former sprawled in his folding chair while the other seemed to be subtly sweating. It wasn't hard to see why, considering the bald turk was losing the game. Badly, at that.

"Thirty one." Tifa laid down her cards, grinning as Reno threw his cards into the air with a shout.

"How the _Hel_ are you winnin', yo? I keep watching your hands, and you're not even cheating!" The red-headed turk let his arms drop to his sides, exasperated, before his phone rang and he got up to answer it a short distance from the clone's coffee table. "Hey."

"Just luck I guess." The fighter glanced to a too-innocent Raul, who started to gather up the cards with almost dainty motions as he glanced at the microwave in the kitchenette.

"Almost eleven. Some of us might get to sleep at a respectable time for once. A good game." Standing up, the clone offered a hand to Rude for a handshake and wasn't disappointed as the bald turk shook it and turned for the door, nodding a polite goodbye to Tifa as the red-headed turk waved and stepped into the hallway. The door closed with a quiet click, and Raul watched it for a long moment until the fighter stepped into his line of sight and quirked a brow.

"Daydreaming?"

"Listening." The clone admitted, shifting slightly. "Tseng is sending them to Mideel. Another Geostigma cure that utterly failed with... Horrifying consequences. Before they got too far away, it was mentioned that the patient developed tentacles and attempted to eat one the on duty nurse."

Tifa grimaced, turning to look towards the door. "One day, we might find a cure. It seems like that day might be far away, though."

"From what I understand, Cloud headed there to help a few days ago. He never stays in one spot for too long, does he." Raul shook his head before making his way towards the coffee pot, setting a hand atop the reservoir and debating if he should make himself a cup or not.

"You're not going to ask me if I miss him, are you?" The disappointment was clear in her voice, and the clone shook his head as he decided that no, no he did not in fact want coffee and instead would rather sleep within the next few hours.

"No. _I_ miss him. He has proven invaluable in regards to tips, methods, tricks and experience with overcoming Jenova and Sephiroth's influences. He also left immediately after speaking with me, which... Makes me feel responsible for it, somehow." Raul turned to face Tifa, leaning back against the counter as he did so that he idly stretch his arms.

"It isn't your fault, you know. Reeve asked him to check it out." The brunette carted the empty cups from the table to the counter, stacking them neatly to one side and starting to run the tap.

"I am aware. Miss Tifa, I can wash those in the morning-"

"I still run a bar, even if I'm only there part time. I miss the little things like this." She ignored his protest, reaching for a wash cloth and the dish soap.

The clone didn't understand how anyone could _miss_ doing dishes, but that didn't stop him from digging out the drying rack and a clean towel.


	28. Chapter 28

Raul was equal parts proud, surprised and startled when he turned the corner and practically walked into Loz. There hadn't been even the barest whisper of static across their connection until he had jumped back, at which point the burly remnant had positively beamed and clapped his hands together in delight.

"I did it! I hid from Big Brother!"

"Three days. It was only three days ago that I told you what my requirement was, and you have surpassed my expectations by an incredible margin. I'm proud of you, Loz." Reaching out and clapping the burly remnant on the shoulder, the clone let an easy smile play out across his face. "Yazoo seems to need a little bit more practice, unfortunately, and I don't want him to be left behind. Will you help him?"

"It's... _Weird_ not being able to feel either of you, but okay. You're right, nobody should be left behind. It's sad and lonely for the person that didn't make it." Loz frowned, shoulders rounding slightly before he nodded and straightened.

"In the mean time, I want you to think something over, and think it over carefully." Raul studied the burly remnant for a moment, making sure he had his attention before straightening his own posture. "I'm worried, that Jenova and Sephiroth might be trying to spy on us using you two. I refuse to leave both of you behind, however. This skill that the two of you are cultivating will help you keep things hidden from them. I need you both to perfect this so that I can include you, without having to worry about that and I want you both to succeed. And I do mean both of you, Yazoo."

There was a somewhat sullen grunt from the faint tickle of static that was hiding in the doorway of the nearby office.

* * *

The group of former soldiers were lined up, all of them prepared for their first true test. They had practiced with materia. They had formed their own reasons and knew what they were getting into. It was the only real way to practice, after all.

The clone stood in front of them, took a deep breath and contemplated the best way to go about it. This was as much practice for him as it was for them, and it was purely on a theoretical basis that he thought he might be able to reach out and-

( ** _Your job is the same as theirs. I know what I ask... Is a terrible thing indeed. But this is not something you can do._** )

( _He could remember the feeling of someone clawing through his brain, even if it wasn't originally his own, and internally flinched as he realized what was coming._ )

( _ **Prepare yourself.**_ )

\- watched as the faces lined up in front of him paled, each soldier flinching or twitching. Some squinted their eyes shut and Kunsel started to sweat as he wheezed. Raul would have sympathized, save for how he suddenly understood how a lemon must have felt when people were juicing it. A sharp pressure had lanced through his mind even as an unseen weight bore down on him, trying to force his consciousness aside and into a proverbial corner even as a single word reverberated through him.

( ** _KNEEL._** )

Bryce wobbled, gritting his teeth even as the people on either side of him reached out to try and steady him. Daryld buckled and hit the ground, catching himself on his hands and knees and gasping for air like a landed fish before he finally drew in a proper lungful and collapsed, and others soon followed. Each was released from the grasp as soon as their knees hit the grass, but that simply transferred more of the invading consciousness to those who were still standing as the Remnant of the Past was able to better narrow his focus.

The clone mustered himself as he felt the sweat bead along the back of his neck, gritting his teeth and staggering a step as the sensation abruptly changed. No longer was it a pressure, a force, and the intent behind it shifted. He was-

( _He was on a parade ground, practicing for the upcoming event and part of the routine was to **kneel** and he he was already part way down before he realized it was wrong, it was fake, and then he was practicing with the soldiers and Kunsel was standing in front of him, toppling over and the best way to catch him was to **kneel** and brace and he stubbornly clung to the faint threads of memory that said no, Kunsel had been at the end of the line._)

Raul didn't trust what he was seeing, and closed his eyes, trying to flex hands he couldn't feel and then reaching up to try and slap himself as hard as he could. The resulting sting across his face brought him a moment of clarity, and he opened his eyes to count the people still standing. Three, not including himself, though Sidney looked white as a sheet and was listing badly. Kunsel was shouting at Bryce, the sound muffled as if the clone was trying to listen through a particularly thick door, and from the grass stains on his knees was trying to encourage the other not to fail the test the way he had. Everyone else was stretched out, watching and the sensation changed again, seeming to all but vanish.

( _Richard was smiling, laughing and playing with his friends along a creek in Cosmo Canyon. They were young, throwing mud at each other and trying to stuff it down each other's shirts nearly as often as they were slapping each other in the face with great handfuls. One of them tripped and fell, skinning their knees and starting to cry before the others gathered around to try and see what the problem was. One of them crouched down, starting to wash the bloody knees with river water and speaking calmly.  
_

_"It's okay. Sometimes, people fall down."_

_The injured boy sniffled, wincing as more mud and blood was washed away through the tear in the knees of his pants, and the others all crouched down to help, many hands making idle work-_ )

The clone paused, one knee just above the grass. When had he moved, he dimly wondered. He could feel his muscles straining to move, to lower him the rest of the way down but fought it, focusing instead on trying to stand up.

( _The boy rinsing the mud and blood off of his friend turned his head to_ _look at Richard, cat-like green eyes blinking. The hair was long and silver, and he wasn't a boy at all. Thin lips pulled into a smirk, and he was just a boy again, just another of the kids of Cosmo Canyon. He looked normal, nothing unusual about silver hair. Everyone had silver hair, didn't they? He was thinking about it too much.)_

( _He should be thinking about how to get their wounded friend home._ )

( _He -should-, but instead a terrible, betrayed anger was starting to boil through his veins. These were -HIS-, they were -ONLY- his, and as he reached out to help the wounded boy up he stepped in, balled up his fist and took a swing instead at the other-_ )

Blinking, Raul stared at the empty space in front of him and the former soldier who was laying several feet away. The pressure, the weight in his mind was gone, and Kunsel slowly propped himself up on an elbow and felt at the blood on his face with the other hand.

"You broge mah noze."

"... I... Am -so- sorry."

* * *

They were all stretched out in the grass, trading experiences back and forth and trying to puzzle out better ways to fight something like that. Bottles of water and a number of take out containers littered the grass around them, and there was an undercurrent of determination to the group despite how they all seemed to be relaxing one way or another.

"I think the worst part of that was knowing that with every one of us that went down, the load increased for everyone still standing. I just kept thinking to myself that if I went down, then Bryce and Raul were next and I couldn't... I just couldn't." Sidney rubbed his temples, closing his eyes as he did. "Think that would still happen if he'd stuck around in our heads?"

"I don't know. He didn't say much after other than he regretted the necessity and that he wanted me to keep an eye on all of you to make sure there's no lasting detrimental effects." The clone rolled an empty water bottle around in his hands, glancing at where Kunsel was cleaning the last of the rice out of a container. "I... I really am sorry."

"Hey, you healed my nose right after. I may not have lasted as long but we all know that you weren't actually aiming for me. It was an accident, and isn't that why we all left all weapons and material behind?" He waved at Raul with the fork, before setting both down and stretching out his legs. "From what I've seen, you could have hit me harder, too. I've seen footage of you practically walking through walls as if they were paper."

The clone winced at that, before clearing his throat. "... Regardless, now that everyone has experience with what to expect, does anyone have any ideas that might benefit how to defend against it?"

"I sort of kept picturing myself in a tower and just... Every time my mind wandered I kept chanting in my head 'tower, tower, tower' and tried to re-focus on it." Bryce looked up from his phone, showing it to the others. "I sorta based it off this."

"Is that a tower defense game?" Paul leaned over to squint at the screen. "Clash of Conduits? Hey, I play that too."

"It didn't really work too well against the first part, but after that it seemed to help. Here, add yourself to my friends list." The phone was offered out, and Paul brushed some of his black hair out of his eyes as he reached out to take it and start entering his info. "How did you last so long, Raul?"

"I locked my muscles by tensing all over constantly and focusing on it, as if I was bracing for a blow. The second and third versions, however... I tried to pick out what seemed odd. There was no previous memory attached to those moments, it was as if I was simply suddenly there." The clone cracked open his water bottle and took a swig, blinking as the others stared at him. "Did I say something odd?"

"I mean, you're right about that but how'd you think of trying to remember back when everything seemed... Normal?" Gerald raked a hand through his short dirty blond hair, grimacing. "Like, shit man, Even when I came out've it I was checking my phone trying to see when the parade was."

"Do... Do none of you ever think about how you got here?" Raul glanced at each of the former soldiers that were staring at him, and idly scratched the side of his face. "It's something I think about constantly. What did I have to eat today for breakfast? Should I make that tomorrow? What did I say to the chef this morning, and which chef were they? Did I do anything that might be considered weird? These are... Small questions, but ones I ask myself frequently."

"That explains... So much about you." Kunsel snickered and reached over to punch the clone's shoulder. "Small wonder why sometimes you seem like a natural at talking to people, and others you're as awkward as a fresh-faced teen at the high school dance."

"I worry..." Raul cleared his throat slightly, less a bid for attention and more to try and shelve the wave of self-conscious awkwardness that was sweeping through him. "... I worry that I'm not... I know I'm not entirely human. I was born human, and then... Well, all of you know about Hojo and his experiments. But I constantly question what humanity means. It need not be tethered to pure genetics, because Hojo was more monstrous than any creature I've faced and Nanaki is more human than Hojo ever was, but..."

Bryce shifted over and threw his arm around the clone, giving him a rough shake and smiling. "We know. We get it, don't worry. We've all thought these things before, at some point after we entered SOLDIER. You're one of us."

Looking at everyone's faces, Raul couldn't help but smile back and relax just a little bit.

* * *

"I think I understand why Brother wants us to be able to hide better now, Brother." Loz sat with his back to the wall of the chocobo stable, knees drawn up to his chest and arms loosely wrapped around them. Yazoo sat on a bench nearby, one leg folded over the other as he rested his head back against the support post in the center of the small space. "That wasn't... -Him-."

"No, it wasn't." The slender remnant pursed his lips together, contemplating the connection. "They think they can win against him, and Mother. Even Brother was barely standing at the end, and he still would have failed if that... Other, hadn't let up."

"They're not going to make it, are they." The burly remnant sniffled, shoulders rounding.

"Don't cry, Loz." Yazoo sighed, peering up at the ceiling as the other remnant muttered quietly that he wasn't. "So it really is up to us, it seems. We get punished either way, one for betrayal and one because we've come to care about him."

"I don't want Brother to get hurt! ... But I don't want to be punished, either."

"What would he do, if he was in our position?" The slender remnant let his head drop, chin almost touching his chest as he folded his arms and sighed. "... As if that's even a question."

Loz peered over at his brother searchingly, reaching out through their connection and nodding slightly and looking determined at what he found.


	29. Chapter 29

They waited a few days to recover, practice a few things and then all met back up on the field. They were surprised to find the remnants, both with their arms crossed, waiting for them as the last of them trickled out to the group.

"We know what you're doing." The Yazoo led, stepping forward. The movement was echoed by Loz who nodded and grunted.

"And we know that you -suck- at it." The burly remnant grinned. "Mother's going to turn you all inside out."

"But we can help with that." The slender remnant unfolded his arms, pointing at Raul. "We'll teach you, and then you'll teach the others."

"And then Mother won't be able to hurt anyone, ever again!" Loz positively beamed at the baffled group of former soldiers, unfolding his arms and holding them out as if to say 'ta-da!'.

"That's... Our success and failure rate aside, what brought this on?" The clone quirked a brow, blinking rapidly as he took in the situation and considered how best to adjust his plans accordingly.

"A few days ago, we felt what you were doing." Yazoo folded his arms once more, eyes narrowing.

"We know that wasn't -Him-." The burly remnant let his hands fall to his sides, frowning as the slender remnant pursed his lips and picked up the conversation.

"And we think you're trying to hide whoever that was."

Loz rubbed his hands together. "Because they're strong, right?"

"Strong enough, to fight Mother. To fight -Him-." Yazoo partially turned, side-eyeing Raul. "You didn't want to say anything, because if -He- learned about this... Other..."

"Then he could take him out early, right? But you don't want that, because surprise makes your strike hit harder." The burly remnant punched the palm of his hand, looking serious. "Miss Tifa taught me that."

"But we think there's something you've missed. Several something's. So, in exchange for helping you, you have to share everything with us." The slender remnant turned back to face the group properly, lifting his chin. "We'll come back in an hour. Talk about it until then."

And with that, they both took their leave, heading out across the track to the other side where they could sit on the bleachers and wait.

* * *

"I don't trust them."

It wasn't the first thing said, but it might as well have been. Raul rubbed his temples as he turned the matter over in his mind. "They already know what I wanted to keep from them. They seem willing to help, as well."

"And what if they start, I dunno, setting us up to fail?" Bryce watched the two remnant s from where he stood, arms folded.

"I think they understand the skepticism, which is why they said they would teach me. This indicates they want my approval, and know that I will carefully monitor anything they might teach to prevent such a thing. They do this so that they lack the chance to set us up to fail." The clone frowned faintly, before looking to the rest of the assembled former soldiers. "They have first hand experience with this manner of thing."

"You're thinking about it. You're -really- thinking about it." Sidney gave him a baffled look, only to shake his head. "They're remnants-"

"And I'm a clone." Raul cut him off abruptly, turning and quirking a brow at the suddenly sheepish former 2nd. "They have the capacity to choose, and if this is their choice then the correct action is not to shun them, but to accept their offer."

"And if they're lying?" Bryce spoke quietly, eyes narrowing as he glanced back towards the clone, who answered him just as softly.

"Then I'll put them down myself."

The former soldiers nodded slowly, if grimly, and watched as he made his way across the track and was met half way by Loz and Yazoo.

"So." Raul sat down on the grass, gesturing for both remnants to do the same. "You said there are some things that I missed. Considering I am going into this basically blind, I look forward to learning anything and everything you are willing to teach me."

"Yeah! You're trying to practice resisting Mother, right?" Loz flopped down and stretched out his legs, beaming.

"Tell me what you have so far. Tell me what you know. I'll fill in the gaps." Yazoo settled down onto his knees before shifting to the side to put his weight on his hip, bracing himself with a hand.

* * *

"Well, you're right on a number of things, but also wrong." The slender remnant had stretched out and tucked his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. "It's -Him- you need to worry about more than Mother. She's an instrument, now. A tool. -He- took over her will, it's not the other way around, after Sephiroth was thrown into the lifestream. He didn't dissolve, and just like he did with Kadaj he took over her body and walked the world again."

"Less two separate entities, and more that Jenova is now an extension of him then. That puts some things into perspective, but I don't believe that Jenova is out of the fight quite yet. I've met a woman with Jenova cells within her that, it was theorized, was becoming a Jenova clone. It may be why no SOLDIER's are physically female." Raul plucked another piece of grass from nearby, holding it up and studying it.

"I dunno. I don't think boobies matter to -Him-. He wore Mother, after all." The burly remnant glanced over from where he was weaving strands of grass together before reaching out to take the piece of grass from the clone and work it into his project.

Raul surrendered the grass without complaint, simply picking another as he frowned thoughtfully. "Jenova is physically mutable though. Humans tend to require extreme circumstances, and generally aren't stable when exposed to rampant change like that. They break down on a physical level, and the only exceptions are outliers. Mister Valentine, for example. All that it means, however, is that one host of Jenova's cells is restrained within a mako crystal in a singular location."

"If you can remove -Him-, then Mother's hold will weaken. But when -He- takes over, unlike Mother..." Yazoo pursed his lips, slitted pupils thinning into lines. "You're still there, in your own head. Watching, as if you're in the back seat of a car. You can't drive, but you can look out the windows."

"We heard Kadaj, through our connection, even though Brother was taken over." Loz collected the next blade of grass and turned the woven bird's nest back and forth, studying it. "He could feel it when Cloud hit him. It's why -He- didn't feel it."

"That doesn't mean -He- doesn't have the capacity to shut you out of your own body, but... -He- prefers cruelty." The slender remnant turned his face to watch his brothers, blinking at what was being made.

"Which is why he let Cloud watch, when he tried to get him to kill Aerith and when he handed over the Black Materia. That narrows down what we have to defend against, though really we should practice them all. It's a more targeted approach." The clone selected another piece of grass, turning it over in his hands and setting it aside before picking a new one.

"You don't think about moving. You just walk, or reach for something. That part of your mind? The, uh... Sleeping part that does that? That's what Mother uses. Her, you'd have to fight alone, but for -Him-? Brother and I, we use our connection. We use it to keep hold of each other, to drown him out." The burly remnant beamed at the piece of grass that had been deemed 'better' and snagged it, neatly weaving it in to the nest to shore up one side of it.

"... You flood the connection so that it's already in use, and thus cannot be utilized." Raul blinked slowly, turning the information over in his mind. "But none of them have a strong enough connection to reach out to each other. Well, maybe Sidney, he made it to 2nd class... Thank you, both of you. I can use this to increase our chances but... What about you two?"

"Don't worry about us, Brother." Yazoo propped himself up on his elbows and smiled. "You may not have known it, but we've been fending -Him- off ever since Costa del Sol. -He- keeps trying and then giving up after a while, only to try again later. I think -He- knows something is going on, and is starting to become desperate to find out."

* * *

"Connected as I am to them, I don't believe they were lying." The clone adjusted his hold on the phone as he swung his pack over his shoulder, getting the lights on the way out of his rooms and locking the door behind him.

 _"But that doesn't explain why you suddenly have to go on a trip._ "

"Miss Tifa, I am undoubtedly about to do something incredibly stupid that may yet give us an edge. Neither of the remnants were wholly aware of Lucretia, and both discounted the possibility of her becoming a Jenova clone. That cave, however, is unique in that it was meant to hide and birth Chaos. I believe that there's something to it that might hamper the ability to sense through the walls."

_"But you said that the Remnant of the Past helped you there, and that you found yourself in Aerith's garden. I don't know, Raul..."_

"Miss Lucretia chose that spot for a reason. I also think that the Remnant of the Past came with me, and for lack of a better term kept the window cracked for Miss Aerith. While I felt Jenova's presence from outside of the cave it was barely noticeable when compared to the deluge I waded through once within the cavern proper. Either Sephiroth knows that the mass is there and is ignoring it, or he thinks there isn't enough there to be useful." The door to the stairwell creaked open as the clone eased his way through, checked the center, and then hopped the railing to drop straight down to the basement with only the quietest cracking of the cement underneath him. "Think about it. Nowhere has Jenova ever been so thoroughly dispersed yet unable to fulfill it's purpose. It wants to leave, it doesn't want to be usurped by it's offspring and worn like a coat."

_"You're giving human traits to something wholly alien, Raul. Please don't do this."_

Raul paused, one hand on the door of Tseng's car.

_"You said so yourself it's something incredibly stupid. I know you just want to give us the best chance of getting rid of Sephiroth, but this isn't the way to do it."_

Behind him, across the parking lot an elevator door dinged open, the sound an echo to the one that came through the receiver. Turning, the clone frowned as he watched Tifa hang up and weave between the cars as she made her way over to him and smiled slightly.

"You didn't leave yet. I thought you had more of a head start and that I'd have to try and run down a car and scold you."

"I can push the car a little if you still want to." The clone rolled his shoulder, shrugging his pack partially off so that he could hold it by the straps.

"No, I can work with this." The smile that had been playing around her mouth grew slightly before turning down into a frown. "Raul-"

"We won't know if she can be an asset or not unless I go, Miss Tifa."

"You said so yourself, it was because of the Remnant of the Past that you were able to leave the cave. He protected you from her, and you've been saying that he's not in your head as often any more. If he's really so busy, wouldn't you just be keeping him from whatever he's working on? I'm sorry, but I just don't think it's a good idea for you to go and try and talk to her. What if she takes you over?" The fighter reached out, snagging one of the straps of the backpack and tugging lightly. "You keep going off and doing things alone, like you think you're expendable or something."

"There are more than a dozen people at the WRO who have a better public relation image than I do, and who also are incredible fighters in their own right. Not the least of which is yourself-"

"That doesn't mean that you can go off and take drastic risks." Tifa sighed, before letting go of the backpack and folding her arms as she shifted and leaned against the side of Tseng's car. "You're important, and you use that fact only when it suits your needs. You're always making decisions without talking to the rest of us, leaving us scrambling to keep up. You're part of the team, you know? You're one of us, so..."

"She's got a point, you know."

The clone jerked, startled and too-casually glancing over at where Genesis was stepping out from behind a pillar. The knowing smirk that was aimed at Raul spoke volumes about whether his reaction had been caught or not. "Listen to the girl, Clone-boy."

Raul cleared his throat, idly ignoring the advice for the moment. "Good to see you've returned. Any luck in Banora?"

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. I'm going to give Reeve my report and then head out to take care of some pet projects of mine." The red-clad swordsman grimaced. "Too long have I let these things fall by the way side."

"I... See-"

"Then we should make sure you get a good meal in you before you leave again, right Raul? Come on. There's chicken and rice in the Mess, and..." Tifa interjected, cutting the clone off and snagging him by the arm to start pulling him along towards the door. Genesis fell into step behind them, smirking at how easily the fighter was able to draw the clone into her wake and the almost bubbly chatter about food prep that prompted nods and side-eyed glances from her captive.

The look he shared with Raul promised teasing in the future, and was answered with a narrowing of the eyes that promised that the clone wouldn't take it laying down.


	30. Chapter 30

"I still think-"

"Raul, we've talked about this. Even if the mind is still Lucretia's, it's too dangerous." Tifa set down her cup, sighing as she watched the clone try not to fidget where he sat. Mulling a few things over, the fighter frowned and rested her elbows on the arms of the chair in the living room of his quarters and changed tactics. "What if this urge to go back and see her is part of a reunion? Shouldn't you be fighting that urge instead?"

That got his attention, and as Raul went utterly still on the couch he paled considerably. "I... Hadn't even thought of that."

"I bet Sephiroth didn't either, when he went back to the reactor." Tifa let the relief she felt show in the smile her frown turned into. "Vincent's there. If you're really set on it, on someone talking to her - or them, as the case may be - then we'll call him and have him ask. That should be okay, right?"

"But I..." Trailing off, the clone grimaced and tried again. "... I feel as though if it was a call for a reunion, the others would have felt it as well. The Remnants, as well. And I don't believe that Mister Vincent has the connection needed-"

"If Sephiroth could control Cloud specifically, why couldn't Jenova call to a single person? Why wouldn't she be able to call to the person with the most of her cells out of everyone else on the planet with them?" The fighter countered, before reaching to pick up her tea once more, using the motion to lean forward as well. Off to her right, the door to the apartment opened. "You're stuck, hung up on wanting to go and talk to her. Isn't that sending red flags up for you too?"

"Through rose tinted glasses, red flags just look like flags." Genesis stepped in, adjusting the bag in his hand as he closed the door with a hip. "Is he still being dense and refusing to listen to reason?"

"I think he's coming around." Tifa smiled softly, stifling a giggle at the withering glare Raul sent the red-clad swordsman, who ignored it and set the bag down on the table.

"My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow." Genesis pulled a stool out from under the edge of the low table, sitting down and starting to unpack the bag. Take out containers were set down and the bottle of wine opened in short order. "If push comes to shove, I'll just sit on him. He's not strong enough to out fight me yet."

"Yet. We have yet to spar today. You never know, I could have had an explosive burst of growth." The clone muttered under his breath, picking up one of the containers and leaning back as he stripped the plastic wrapper from the fork. Clearing his throat, he continued, albeit louder. "What you say has merit. Please, call Mister Vincent and see what he can do. If, should it be at all possible, we can convince Jenova to leave the planet without taking the rest of the lifestream with her... -If- we can convince her that it simply isn't worth the continued fight, then we may yet be able to win this without extensive fighting nor with rampant loss of life. We may yet be able to get her to leave the planet and to take Sephiroth with her. Is that not their goal, after all?"

"But what about other planets out there, Raul?" The fighter scooped some of the spaghetti out of the container and onto a plate, politely declining the glass of wine the red-clad swordsman offered before leaning back in her chair. "I think... We need to kill her, and we need to do it in a way that's final."

"Miss Tifa, with how widespread both Jenova and Sephiroth are through the lifestream I hesitate to say how feasible that is at this point. Mideel is still attempting to treat the remaining cases of Geostigma, with little success. We have no viable method to recreate Miss Aerith's limit break, let alone to do so on a global level. While I understand your concern, I-..." Trailing off, the clone frowned and shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. "... I'm succumbing to one of the major mistakes of generalized warfare, aren't I. I am neglecting to keep my mind open for the possibilities."

"Well -done- Clone-boy." The red-clad swordsman adjusted his grip on his wineglass so that he could quietly clap without having to set it down. "You woke up. All on your own, too, and even before you blindly walked into a trap."

"We can't give up hope. Not yet. There's always a chance something will turn up, right? We're already buying the planet more time, and just because we haven't found a repeatable cure doesn't mean there isn't one." Tifa smiled slightly, idly moving some of the spaghetti around on her plate. "We can't give up now. Not after coming so far already."

"The optimal solution would be flying Jenova and Sephiroth directly into the sun. Considering how unlikely the possibility of that actually occurring is, however... Yes. We must continue to fight. Not just this world, but as you said all other planets out there as well." The clone faintly echoed her smile, utterly ignoring the smug look Genesis was giving him.

* * *

"And here I thought I was a master manipulator." The red-clad swordsman ambled down the hall after Tifa, hands clasped behind his back. They were a safe enough distance from Raul's apartment that Genesis felt enhanced hearing wouldn't be able to pick up their words. "You know, he is willfully and blissfully ignorant, refusing to see the truth. Everyone with a working pair of eyes can see that when you enter a room he rarely looks away. Were you going to tell him that his eyes had turned feline? Or were you testing a theory to see whether you could bring him out of it just by force of presence alone."

"I'm not manipulating him. I just talked some sense into him, that's all." The fighter frowned, shifting her weight from foot to foot as they stopped by the stairwell. "He's a good person. He just needed a bit of a nudge, that's all."

"He would have fought me, you know. Don't underestimate Jenova's abilities. I'm curious though, as to how this act will play out. Who will you choose, the Traveler or the Hero?" The red-clad swordsman reached to push the door open, stepping around Tifa as she narrowed her eyes.

"You know, when Loveless mentioned a -silent- sacrifice I pictured a whole lot less coming out of your mouth. My private life isn't any of your business, Genesis."

"Do you know how many people I can say are my friends? Good friends, whom I could count on to pull my slumbering form from a burning building? _Four_. And -you- have the heart of one of them cupped in your calloused, thick-knuckled hands." Leaning so that he could loom over the fighter, Genesis let his lips curl into a sneer. "The living legacy of another keeps leaving you, for all intents and purposes. I may not have liked the little twerp immediately after meeting him but if you break Clone-boy's heart then I -will- go out of my way to find methods with which to make your life a living hell until he's forgiven you. Have I made myself clear?"

Tifa squared her shoulders, chin lifting as she met his glare with one of her own.

* * *

"Do I want to know what happened to your face, Genesis?" Raul blinked at the fading black eye the red-clad swordsman was sporting as they met at their usual sparring spot on the practice field.

"My friend, the fates are cruel. There are no dreams, no honor remains, the arrow has left the bow of the goddess." Genesis sniffed haughtily, drawing his sword. "It will heal on it's own, though I doubt your curiosity would be sated by just that. It isn't important, however."

Drawing the Murasame, the clone quirked a brow. "You would be correct. If anything, you have piqued my curiosity all the more. However, if you don't want to talk about it, I will refrain from pressing. Are you ready?"

( ** _... May I?_** )

( _He was crazy, if he thought he was going to hand over control of his body-_ )

( ** _Of all of those who I could call 'friend', he is the last alive. It shall also serve as practice, for breaking the control of another._** )

( _... He was -insane-, he was considering it and that quiet, sad mental tone with just a hint of hopeful was getting to him. It -would- be a good idea to practice that particular method of mental combat, but..._ )

( ** _I will never again ask this thing of you._** )

( _The weight of that promise settled it. There was a measure of trust, after all, that had been garnered and built ever since the Crystal Cavern. Hesitant as he was, he relaxed-_ )

"I am. Let's see this 'explosive burst of growth', shall we?" A smirk pulled it's way across the red-clad swordsman's face, and he raised the Rapier in a salute before pausing and frowning as the clone closed his eyes and lifted his head, taking a slow, deep breath. Green eyes reopened with slit, feline pupils before Raul set himself and started across the space between them, Murasame settled into his left hand.

( ** _Try and fight the control of your muscles. Focus. If Cloud could do this, someone who was so wholly broken that he did not know who he was and considered nothing more than a puppet, then you can do so as well._** )

The swords clashed, sending sparks flickering through the air between them as the clone set himself, braced and then pushed, sending Genesis skidding back several feet. His head came up, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion as Raul smirked and leveled his sword, only to almost drop it as his hand spasmed.

"You fight as recklessly as ever, Genesis."

"Give him -back-." The words were spat out as the red-clad swordsman ran a hand down the length of his Rapier, each of the inscribed runes therein lighting in response.

"I will. He will need to know how to fight for control of his own body before the end." Dashing to the side to avoid the bolts of fire that were sent after him, the clone dove forward into a roll and came up just in time to brace the katana and catch the downward, two handed strike that cracked the pavement beneath him with the weight of it. "There were many things I did not say, before."

"Give him back -now-!" Snapping one hand to the side and then drawing it towards him, Genesis bid the burning patches of grass to douse as the small fires ripped away from their sources, screaming through the air towards the already pushing back and spinning Remnant of the Past. The katana shifted and swatted, batting away the first two before on the third swing abruptly dropping the Murasame's point down and catching one blast across the chest. Regaining his footing as he came out of the stagger, the clone's body smiled softly, looking almost proud for a moment before the expression dropped into a frown.

"I may not have a choice in the matter. I wanted to say, however, before I do go... That I am sorry, that I could not help you."

( ** _That I missed you. That I was worried, that I was hurting because I felt like you abandoned me and that your words at the reactor were salt on an open wound. The worst kind of disinfectant for a canker sore._** )

( _He could feel the bonds about his consciousness slip, though he felt maybe it wasn't exactly fair game to break them right then and there. The knowledge that he could bolstered him, and as he felt the restricting, smothering feel of another consciousness sharing his corporeal form return in full force he panicked just a little bit less._ )

Genesis scoffed, shaking his head before settling into a defensive stance. "So you take over the body of my -new- friend to tell me this?"

"I also wanted to say thank you. For staying alive. For choosing to defend the world when I failed." The words made the red-clad swordsman falter slightly, and the Remnant of the Past continued with a slight smile. "For being the hero, that I could not be."

"Well... Somebody had to pick up the slack. Are you done yet?"

Flourishing the sword, the clone's body smirked and canted his head to the side. "Almost."

Steel on steel rang out as Genesis met the charge and slid it to the side, the ghost of a smirk curling the corners of his lips upwards as one of the Remnant of the Past's legs gave out seemingly of it's own accord.

* * *

"Of all the harebrained, idiotic, -stupid- ideas that you've had, this one takes the _cake_."

Raul, sore in places he didn't realize he -could- be, could only grunt in agreement as he remained stretched out in the middle of a smoking crater. The Remnant of the Past had sparred back and forth with Genesis for nearly an hour, compensating for the repeated (exhausting, if the clone was being honest) moments where he would lose control over the body. The red-clad swordsman sat nearby, flexing his fingers and making sure everything still worked after nearly having his arm dislocated.

" _Why_ would you ever, -EVER- think it was a good idea to give up control of your own body? What if that hadn't actually been him, but instead was the Sephiroth that was trying to kill everyone? Do you ever think these things through?"

Raul grunted in response once more, slowly curling his toes and reveling quietly in the ability to do so. A clod of dirt landed on his stomach, drawing an inquisitive grunt this time.

"Are you even _listening_ to me?"

"Yes, Genesis, I am. Rest assured, it will not happen again. The experience was... Invaluable, however. Better to-"

A second clump of dirt, this one sporting a few blades of charred grass landed on his chest as the red-clad swordsman scoffed by the edge of the crater. "You do -not- get to rationalize your way out of this. Between the buxom brunette and I, it seems we have our hands full keeping -you- from following through on -stupid- ideas."

"It was a good idea at the time?" The clone propped himself slowly up onto his elbows, wincing as he did and glancing up as Genesis slid down the side of the crater, black wing out and fanning away the remaining smoke.

"Not good enough. Come on." Offering a hand out, the red-clad swordsman huffed and hauled Raul to his feet before starting to help him out of the crater. "You owe me. And don't even -think- that a single bottle of wine will bribe your way out of this."

"What about two?" Limping along, the clone tried to keep the worst of his weight off of the leg he had collapsed under the Remnant of the past, smiling slightly as Genesis snorted.

"Negotiable, -if- we make it to the mess on time. They close soon, and I'm utterly -famished-."


	31. Chapter 31

_... I'm... Sorry..._

"I never blamed you. I thought, that locking myself away from the world so that I could be tormented by nightmares would be penance for the suffering I had caused." The click of small pieces of metal echoed through the large chamber as claws held them steady so that the polishing cloth in the far more human hand could wipe them down. "I was wrong."

_I'm... So sorry..._

"... Then do something, to work towards making it right."

_... Sorry..._

* * *

"Yo, I think that you should keep someone around to act as a touch stone, bud." Reno poured another generous helping of the communal whiskey into the soft drink he had brought with him, glancing over at Raul as he did. "Like a buddy system. Works for the Turks, no reason why it wouldn't work for you too, yeah? People're getting worried that you're starting to crack."

The bald turk made his way over from the microwave, a plate of pizza in hand that was offered over to the frowning clone and picking up where his partner left off. "We all get it. Nobody likes being watched."

"But some times, the stress of the job starts to get to ya, ya know? It's good to have a second set've eyes for that sort of stuff." The red-headed turk's words were met by a hum as Raul worked to clear his mouth of the pizza he had just stuffed into it.

"So... You think I'm stressed, and that such is why I believed going to the Crystal Cavern was a good idea?"

"When was the last time you sat down and relaxed, bud? Sat in a hot tub, did something other than the frantic research you were doing and practicing? You don't -stop-, man. That might be part've the problem." Stirring his drink with the straw, Reno eyed it critically and then took a sip, nodding in satisfaction. "Ahhh~... Shame you can't get drunk."

"I rather like the ability to think. If I am making poor judgement calls, consider then how much worse it would be while impaired." The clone sat back in the chair, stretching his legs out and wincing slightly. For all that he had slept since the last spar with Genesis, his healing factor hadn't yet taken care of the bruises and muscle strain caused by fighting his own body when it came to movement.

"No, like, you don't -get- it. Alcohol? It removes inhibitions, bud. And for people that just bottle everything up it's a godsend for letting everything out, so that it doesn't fester inside."

"It's part of being human." Rude sat down on the couch next to Reno, lifting his own drink and taking a sip. He could feel the silent congratulation that the red-head was thinking with how Reno jostled him slightly with an elbow and a grin.

"Yeah! You form bonds, go out and do stupid things together. You talk about stuff, get drunk, share your problems. Which, yo that reminds me. I heard Kunsel's hostin' a big huge party over the weekend. It wouldn't take much to ship in enough booze to get everyone drunk. I'm sure we could convince Reeve to foot the bill somehow." The grin grew as the red-headed turk read the contemplation that had settled across Raul's face. "All work and no play makes Raul a dull boy!"

"I begin to see the threads you would seek to snare me with. Very well, I'll bite, but I have a few conditions." The clone sighed, resting an elbow on the arm of the chair as he surveyed the two turks on his couch.

"Hit me. Not literally, bud."

"For starters, we absolutely -must- have a bonfire. Nothing spells disaster quite like a large source of fire in close proximity to copious amounts of alcohol."

* * *

There were three huge bonfires, as it turned out. Two trucks, loaded with alcohol pulled up just before the sun went down and everyone who could be spared went out to enjoy the festivities. There was music, and several people had gone ahead and slapped together a makeshift pool using sheets of metal, concrete abutments and a handful of welding tools. The deck leading up to it was made of stacked crates, and for those who didn't have swimsuits it didn't really matter considering everyone was drunk and throwing one another into the pool. Two sets of large speakers had been set up for karaoke, and at any given time the people on one were trying to outdo the people on the other. The mess hall was open, so that people could pass freely in to grab a hot dog or a hamburger and both Tseng and Reeve were surprisingly acting as the bartenders.

A short distance away, a band played and all in all, it was a boisterous affair. At one point, they even managed to get Genesis to come up and play the drums, though he did so only on the stipulation that Raul would come up and sing. Which he did, once one of the karaoke machines had been appropriated so that he knew the lyrics. The former soldiers commandeered the rest of the alcohol stores and went to town once most of the unenhanced had turned in for the night. Or, more accurately, the morning considering all but the turks, the former soldiers, Tifa, Reeve and a subtly surprised Vincent that had happened upon the party somewhere in the vicinity of oh three hundred hours had left shortly after midnight.

"It's a stamina thing." Genesis winked as he worked the cork out of another bottle of wine and answered the clone's idle question about whether or not such was normal. Lounging back on the makeshift deck, he watched Tuesti as he floated by supported by an inflated tube with a mojito in hand and his eyes closed, stripped down to a pair of shorts. "Speaking of, how are you feeling, Clone-boy?"

"Very fuzzy." Raul glanced over from where he was watching the stars and gingerly leaning against the shoddy railing that had come about as a result of 'this is potentially unsafe, maybe we should do something' and half a dozen people who could barely stand trying to execute a plan of action. "I think Miss Tifa has beaten just about everybody at arm wrestling."

"You should finish your bottle of rum and go try your hand at it." The red-clad swordsman leaned slightly, wing stretching out to try and poke Reeve to see if he was still awake. The hand that lazily waved the appendage away reassured him that the Director wasn't yet down for the count. "I'll make sure nobody important drowns - Yes, that regrettably includes you Sidney - so fret not."

Offering Genesis a sloppy salute, the clone turned and wobbled somewhat as he made his way down the stacked crates and over to where Kunsel was shaking his hand, grinning widely. The former soldier perked up and hauled himself out of the chair, waving him over.

"Hey! Saved the best for last it seems! C'mon, Raul. She's wumped everyone else! You've got to redeem our honour. We can't let everyone get beaten by a -girl-!"

"I will have you know that the scariest people I have ever met have been women. My mother, for example, was a -dangerous- foe with a flip flop." Still, the clone obligingly sat down in the chair, setting the bottle on the edge of the concrete block that was being used for a table. Murmurs of 'la chancla!' rippled through the gathered spectators, some of which snickered and flapped their hands at each other.

"I don't get it." Loz frowned down at his hamburger, before Elena nudged him with an elbow and leaned up to whisper at him. His eyes widened and he burst out giggling, watching as Raul rolled his shoulder and then offered his hand out to the fighter. "Kick her butt, Brother! She's unarmed!"

"Exactly as she wants to be, Loz. I may be at a disadvantage, but I refuse to lose asily." Blinking, the clone wrinkled his nose. "Easily. I refuse to lose -easily-."

"I'd hope so." Planting her elbow and clasping his hand, Tifa smiled easily as Kunsel moved to stand beside the block, hand held up. "It'd be a disgrace if the owner of a bar lost to someone who was drunk."

"I'm not drunk, you're drunk." The words pulled a giggle from the fighter, and Raul smiled slightly as Kunsel dropped his hand abruptly.

"Go!"

The clone grunted, not expecting the surge of strength that cranked his arm back on an angle, and he reached out with his off hand to snag the bottle so that he wasn't inclined to brace himself with it. Still, he caught himself before his knuckles touched the concrete, and he slowly started to work his way back up to the center point. They were both leaning over the concrete, close enough that even the unenhanced would have been able to clearly see the sheen of sweat across the brunette's forearm, forehead and neck. "I begin to see how you can power bomb dragons...!"

"That was once!" Straining to force his arm back down, Tifa grit her teeth and shifted slightly in her seat, eyes narrowing. "And it... Was a small dragon!"

"Still... Still a dragon." Finally at the center point, Raul adjusted his stance to plant his feet a little wider, sticking his thumb in the neck of bottle so that he would be less likely to break it with his grip. "You do realize... That I've the -perfect- plan, correct?"

"I think... That you're bluffing. You've got -nothing-." The fighter grinned at him, and he smirked back at her even as he let up just a smidge. Just enough to get her eyes to snap to their hands as he leaned in, closed the distance and stole a chaste kiss, nothing more than the light press of his lips against hers. She froze, and the clone took advantage of the moment to lightly rap her knuckles against the concrete as he settled smugly back into his seat and watch the shocked and embarrassed redness spread across her face.

"I believe the match goes to me."

* * *

The slight soreness of the red handprint across the side of his face was worth it. He could barely feel it, but didn't doubt that if the enhanced healing all soldiers possessed didn't take care of it by the morning, it would be a bruise to marvel at. Sitting on the edge of the bridge and watching the sunrise he stretched and yawned, turning his head as footsteps approached him.

"Miss Tifa?"

The fighter waved sheepishly, before sitting down beside him. "I'm... Sorry, that I hit you."

"Think nothing've it. Cheated to win, after all, and reeaally it should have been the natural outcome." Rubbing the side of his face, the clone picked up the closest bottle and shook it slightly, frowning as he found it was empty. "Surprise tactics, and all."

"You really are drunk, aren't you. You're usually very careful with your words." Tifa tilted her head, watching him and smiling slightly.

"Mhm. Not looking forward to three hours." The bottle was set down in favour of another, which sloshed quietly when he shook it and was immediately brought up so that he could sniff the contents. Vodka, with something else. Perfect, maybe?

"What happens in three hours?" The fighter's smile turned downwards at the corners, lips pulling into a frown.

"Metabolic process. -Hangover-. My math's probabably off, too." Blinking owlishly at the bottle, Raul sniffed it again just to make sure nobody piddled in it before deciding against risking it and setting it aside. "Look, about cheating..."

"How about you come and talk to me about it when you're sober? Not hung over, not drunk. But after, okay?" She swung her legs over the edge of the bridge, watching the rest of the sunrise.

"M'kay." Came the clone's answer, even as he watched the fighter instead.


	32. Chapter 32

Raul was pointedly reminded why he didn't drink to get drunk upon waking up. Blessedly, he was in a dark room. Cursedly, the display on the clock was annoyingly bright and the whole room smelled of rum. It stuck in his nose, and sluggishly the clone wondered if it was worth it to crack open a window and risk the sunlight before he remembered that he didn't actually have one. Turning his head to bury his face into the pillow, Raul regretted the action almost immediately as it exposed his other ear to the not quite as muffled buzz of electronics that sawed across his consciousness. The loud groan that rattled through him drew a wince, and he turned his head slightly once more to squint blearily at the clock.

Oh nine hundred hours, and thirty seven minutes. He had been asleep for a near two hours, before the habit of being a light sleeper had murdered whatever dream he might have been having and returned him to the land of the living. Desperately, he wished he was asleep and mourned the fact that sleep didn't actually work like that and wondered if he would survive trying to smother himself into unconsciousness with the pillow.

His pulse was -loud-, and the side of his face hurt.

* * *

Ten hundred hours, give or take a few minutes, found him sitting in the meeting room after the intolerably loud buzzing of his phone enraged him enough to simply crunch the device in his hand. The table was cool, and so Raul did the only logical thing and gently leaned forward to rest his face against it as Reeve hoarsely tried to talk about what had brought Vincent back at three in the morning. Something about a warning, though the clone wasn't paying attention. He was trying to grit his teeth without his jaw hurting and succeeding only in feeling every little vibration in the table caused by the shifting of a mug, the scraping of a chair or the click of keyboard keys being depressed.

And then -she- arrived, wafting through the doorway with two trays in hand and a third balanced on her head. The aroma of rich coffee wafted out from her, along with the heavenly smell of bacon and eggs, coupled with buttered toast. Thickly, Raul swallowed and mumbled out what he hoped sounded like appreciation as he sat up and reached to stuff the portion set in front of him into his mouth, disregarding any manners. He barely noticed when the second and third trays were settled down, but when he glanced up and reached for his coffee the remnants were seated on either side of him.

"We could feel you across the base, Brother." Yazoo smiled slightly, though he looked strained as he did while Loz beamed and gestured to the table laden with plates.

"We helped Miss Tifa cook eggies!"

The sounds were too loud and caused the clone to wince, but he managed something resembling a smile as he turned back to his food.

* * *

Ten hundred hours and fourty seven minutes, and Reeve tried again.

"Now that everyone has both eyes open and isn't slumped half out of their chair - looking at you, Genesis - and we've all had some coffee, maybe we can get down to business. This morning, Vincent returned to relay to us a warning that he wishes for us to look into. He believes that Chaos is attempting to communicate, as he has had a recurring dream for the past three days in a row, which is highly unusual."

"Is there enough of Chaos within him for this to be a working theory? From what I can remember - and forgive me, my head still feels as thick as Titan's thighs - did he not report that much of the WEAPON was dispersed in the conflict with Omega?" Raul rubbed his temples, closing his eyes against the still too-harsh glare of the overhead lights.

"It doesn't take much to form a connection like that. Theoretically speaking, even the smallest amount would be enough to influence dreams." Tuesti leaned back in his chair, nursing his coffee with a sigh. "Chaos, it has long been theorized is only semi-sentient. Built as it is by the corrupted lifestream composed of those souls that cannot pass on due to traumatic, scarring events, generally the most communication you could expect from such a thing would be screaming, cursing, and fragments of the memories of those that form it's core. These are the source of the nightmares that have plagued him ever since his resurrection at the hands of Dr. Crescent."

"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul... What is this dream, then?" The red-clad swordsman shifted, propping a boot up on the edge of the table and tucking his mug of his coffee against his chest.

"I recorded it on my phone. Not bad for being three mojitos and two margarita's in, if I say so myself." Opening his phone, Reeve settled it down between plates so that the recording could play.

_"... I find myself floating amid a river of green. Everything is calm, before I drift upwards. From above, I can see the tendrils of silver bleeding into it, and I can see that where before it was a trickle, now it is an active flood. I... Snarl, enraged and helpless to turn back the tide. From here, the world splits, as if I see one future through my right eye and another through my left. Through my right eye, I lunge forward and tear into the silver, devouring it even as I am, in turn, devoured. Silver stains the world, and I'm torn asunder."_

_"Mhm?" Tuesti's voice was somewhat slurred in the recording though Vincent's remains clear, if resigned._

_"... Through my left eye, I turn back, and gorge myself upon the green. I advance ahead of the silver tide, small and weak yet fast, striking before it can, starving it. I stretch wings around what is left, smothering it. Hiding it. I am tainted with reds and blacks, I am the hole through which the green rivers flow into darkness, hidden from the silver that finds me unpalatable. I pull the hole in my being closed, trapping the green within the darkness I am born from with the promise of releasing it once the threat has passed. I believe, that this is Chaos, attempting to show me that what will come to pass if it is used as a weapon against Jenova, or if allowed to fulfill it's purpose. Regardless of the path, however, the main threat remains. Sephiroth is working harder to destroy the Lifestream from within. We're running out of time."_

Reeve reached forward, collecting his phone and resting his elbows on the edge of the table. "We need to do something. I believe we -have- bought some time, with returning the mastered materia to the Lifestream, but not nearly enough. All of our long-term solutions aren't viable in light of this information-"

"Oh. That's... It's so simple." The clone blinked, musing to himself until he realized everyone was staring at him.

"I can't -wait- to hear what bad idea you've had now, Clone-boy." Genesis shifted to put his feet back down on the floor, settling his coffee mug onto the table and folding his arms. "Out with it."

"If the creatures that summon materia hold the strength of gods, does it not stand to reason that a summon materia could contain one? Shinra experimented with huge materia. We have the facilities to drain the Lifestream and the knowledge to return it. We have the ability to study the lifestream and determine if it is tainted with Jenova cells and the technology to condense such a thing into man-made materia." Raul reached up to idly touch some of the beads in his hair.

"-Do- summon materia actually hold the summons within them, though? Or do they act as a beacon." Reeve mused out loud, looking thoughtful.

"Does it matter, so long as we trigger a Reunion in the reactors and condense Mother into materia?" The slender remnant looked up from where he had been studying his plate.

"Only if we miss some, but by triggering a Reunion... I doubt it, Yazoo." Tuesti smiled slightly. "That solves the problem of what do we do with them. Tseng relocated to Midgar a while ago to check on the status of the reactors and look into the process of how Shinra was making materia. Considering the number of reactors there, provided we can repair enough of them I believe it would be the ideal location. The main problem, however is the repair work that will be required. The area is saturated with enough mako to poison the average person, and while Tseng assured me he was taking proper precautions I don't believe the average person could work there for an extended period of time."

"If only we had a number of small, elite forces with a resistance to mako poisoning." Genesis leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and smirking.

"Roughly fifty people, plus enough suits for another dozen that our techs use when they went in to start shutting the reactors down-" Reeve blinked as the red-clad swordsman tisked and waggled a finger.

"Do you know how many people loyal to Weiss escaped from the Deepground headquarters? -Hundreds-. And they know the reactors like nobody else. Who saved his life? Who can use that as 'saving the planet, is saving Weiss'?" Leaning back in the chair and spreading his arms, Genesis grinned widely. "You can thank me at any time now. Go on."

* * *

Saying goodbye to his rooms for the move to Midgar was difficult, though only in part because of the lingering effects of the hangover. It had largely cleared up with the liberal application of turkish* coffee, food and a brief nap. If he turned too quickly he was liable to stagger and fail to keep down his food, but he was at least making the attempt to be careful. Mostly, saying goodbye to his rooms was difficult because he had come to see it as _home_.

Home. What an odd concept.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, the clone picked up both of the 1/35 soldiers that had otherwise lived on the table beside his bed. The faces of Angeal and Genesis stared up at him, one confidently smirking and the other solemnly frowning. Not for the first time, Raul wondered at how realistic they looked. Whomever had first designed them at Shinra had done their research, capturing the red-headed swordsman's cocky poise perfectly. Compared to the borrowed memories, even Angeal seemed incredibly detailed and life-like. They had served to help him determine which memories were his and which ones weren't, strictly because he knew he hadn't ever actually met either of them personally, and only seen them in passing. Physical reminders to keep him grounded to the reality of who he wasn't, regardless of what he looked like.

Setting them back down on the table, the clone picked up his backpack and pushed himself to his feet. All of his essentials were already packed, and with luck he might even be back some day. For now, however, he would have to content himself with turning out the lights and stepping out into the hall, locking the door behind him and leaving the two figurines behind.

He didn't need them any more. His friends were waiting for him, and they were all the reminder he needed to know who he was and who he wasn't.


	33. Chapter 33

For the first two days, as one of the physically stronger people there, Raul did a great deal of heavy lifting. Between himself, Loz, and the rest of the former soldiers they managed to clear a great deal of the rubble, sometimes catching sight of Genesis directing his copies to do much the same. From there, along the paths they carved out to the reactors Reeve's engineers went to work diagnosing the main problems to give them an idea as to where they would need to start from. Structural integrity was a given. Copies of the blueprints were passed around and replaced, as coffee and food inevitably stained the paper. They realized they didn't have the materials needed until Sidney suggested salvaging what they could from the area around them.

From there, work progressed at half the pace it had before, but considering their dwindling supplies and the fact that a full third of their work force was on salvage duty and another third working on making anything brought back was serviceable, it wasn't surprising. In the end, they agreed that completing a reactor and moving on to the next was the best course of action instead of splitting their forces between all of them, and as unnerving as it was working with the Genesis copies that either could not or would not speak beyond somewhat feral-sounding growls they managed to get three complete before Tseng surfaced in a hazmat suit.

The facility that Shinra had used to meld materia and create them was, perhaps surprisingly, structurally sound. Of course, the building had been designed to withstand accidents and explosions of materia, so the clone felt perhaps it was less of a surprise as it could have been. Mako had leaked all over the floor from where some cannisters had been damaged, bulking up some of the rats, spiders, insects and other vermin that had come to claim the ruins for their own. He asked Genesis (who was clearly growing bored) to take some of his copies and clear them out, which was enthusiastically taken care of to the detriment of anyone within earshot. It was worth it, however, considering how sheepish they had seemed after Kunsel thrust mops and buckets into their hands and folded his arms.

It only took a day for the 'heavy lifting crew' to carve a path through the rubble to the partially buried bunker-like building, after which it was up to Reeve and Cait Sith to map out the pipes between it and the reactors. Twelve units went in, three reporting that some of the pipes were crushed and damaged and two mysteriously disappearing. They looked to the smallest of them and asked if he could pretty-please worm his way through to take care of whatever was disappearing the Cait Sith robots.

Yazoo, predictably, said no. Not only was it a tight fit, but fighting in a space he could barely turn around in let alone stand up in was 'A giant nope from him, Captain'. Raul was proud of the humour displayed, despite the fact that it meant that someone else would have to go through lest the tube be considered unusable. He looked to Reeve, requested a ridiculous amount of food - both meals and snacks - and said that he would take care of it. The director placed a call, looked baffled, and shrugged as he mentioned that he would leave it to the clone's discretion.

A fully grown man followed the food into his tent as it arrived. A child emerged, long black hair tied back and wearing an overly large shirt, who padded bare-foot back to Tuesti's tent and sheepishly admitted he hadn't quite thought everything through. Raul weathered the startled expressions and laughter with a good-humoured smile, playing it up by clasping his hands behind his back and rocking back and forth on his feet.

"How long will this last?" Tifa crouched down, brushing some crumbs off of the child-sized clone's face.

"At my best guess? Probably a few hours, with how much I ate. If I don't focus, it... Sort of tries to reset, which also burns through my reserves. I just need a dagger of some kind and I'll be alright." Torn between grimacing at being treated like a child and grinning because of the habitual action of the fighter, the clone decided instead to turn large eyes towards the still chuckling Reeve. "I'll only have time to go through the ones that the Cait Sith's disappeared through, and hopefully I can make it back before I get stuck. But that's why I plan to bring snacks, just in case. While I might fit as an adult, I don't like to think about how much scraping against the sides of the pipes I'd have to go through."

"We've found a head lamp and a suitable weapon, Brother." Yazoo stepped into the tent, frowning and offering both items out. "I could lend you my Velvet Nightmare."

"As much as I appreciate it the last thing I want to do is put more holes in the pipes." The sharpened shard of metal had cloth wrapped around the one end, and while it was makeshift the slender remnant had managed to weight it somewhat properly by thinning down the handle. Raul hefted it a few times and nodded to himself, even as Genesis came in with an amused smirk on his face and a set of small clothes in hand.

"I have to see thi-" Catching sight of the much-smaller than normal clone, the red-clad swordsman burst out laughing. "By Gaia you look like a tonberry! Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess indeed...!"

"Watch out, Genesis. I might poke your knee." Slouching, Raul shuffled forward a step and poked the air in his snickering friend's vicinity with the dagger only to reach up and collect the clothes. "I appreciate the haste with which you have done this. I'm burning through my time like this as it is. Somebody drive me over there so that I can change on the way, please."

* * *

Half of his concentration was dedicated to maintaining his current form at any given time. The other half was tuned into his surroundings as he crawled as quickly as he could through the residual muck. He was utterly aware of how slick, squishy and gross the filth was, but couldn't afford to ignore it in the event that he came across a shard of metal. The last thing he wanted was to be -injured- in the slop he had to work his way through.

Each point that the Cait Sith's had disappeared was roughly half an hour in, and as he drew closer he noted immediately what might have been the problem. In the light of the headlamp, the pipe emptied out into a chasm that, as he carefully poked his head out around the corner of the undoubtedly sharp fragments of metal that made up the end of the pipe, he could see the other one that the second unit had been lost from. The footprints had gone from regular prints to drag marks about twenty feet back, and so Raul drew the makeshift dagger and carefully looked down.

Countless sets of reflective eyes stared up at him in a silence that was only broken by the faint mental sensation of static.

* * *

Reeve blinked as the clone began to curse explosively. It was odd to her the words coming from a thinner, reedier version of his voice but the meanings were clear nonetheless, and the director could see why. Raul had backed a short distance up the pipe as rats the size of small dogs flooded into the pipe, and for every one that was stabbed two more took it's place. Choked as the point was, the clone seemed to be doing a good enough job of stabbing one, backing up a foot, and then stabbing another.

"Why isn't he using the materia I gave him?" Genesis leaned to watch the monitor, scowling.

"You gave him lightning and fire. Lightning would extend to him with the metal and moisture of the pipe, and fire in such a confined area would simply channel back and hit him as well." Tuesti frowned as the cursing changed.

_"Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope."_

Raul was scrambling backwards as fast as he could as the dead rats were hauled out backwards by something larger and tentacled that gurgled and squished itself into the tube after him.

_"We have a confirmed Jenova-tained creature. I **do not like** the feeling I get from this thing."_

"Raul, we have people standing by at the entry point. If you can make it that far then we're all set to extract you. It doesn't seem as if it can keep up with you, all you need to do is out pace it." Reeve glanced towards where the pipe had been opened before it branched off into the countless smaller tubes to feed different parts of the machines before his frown deepened. "... Where did Yazoo go?"

* * *

The clone had -thought- he was outpacing it, had agreed with the initial assessment as with every foot be put between them smothered the _comemeldfusespawn!_ that he was fending off through the connection to the creature, but then all of a sudden he wasn't. It was squelching through the muck faster, drawing closer no matter how much he scrambled backwards. He was loath to turn and give the creature his back, should he need to defend himself, but they had already gone a hundred feet by his estimate and now it was abruptly less than thirty from him.

Static tingled a warning across his mind, and he unhesitatingly plastered himself against the side of the pipe and into the slime there as shots began to ring out. He watched with some fascination as the creature also tried to squish to the side, but it's bulk prevented it from doing more than opening the smallest of gaps along one side as holes began to open up within it's center mass. The shots ceased, and Raul resumed backing away from the creature until he found Yazoo another hundred feet back, hair plastered against his back and shoulders and looking utterly unenthusiastic about how he'd clearly had to crawl along practically on his stomach through the muck.

They shared a look, before the slender remnant shifted and labouriously curled, flexed and wiggled until he was facing back towards the entrance of the pipe and started working his way along while the clone took up rear guard.

* * *

"We've been able to determine roughly where the damage is from the outside and Genesis already has his copies working on opening up a path. If Yazoo didn't kill it, then we'll fight it again soon enough, and under more favourable conditions." A nod was given to the recently-showered remnant, who glanced over from where he was toweling his hair and pinked slightly at the relief and thankfulness that was stamped across Tuesti's face. "Because of how quickly you reacted, Raul is safe."

"I just did what anyone could have." Yazoo resumed drying his hair with a little more vigor than before, using the action to better hide his face.

"I couldn't have done that. You went into a situation that you clearly were uncomfortable in to save someone else." Tifa crouched, peering up at the slender remnant and smiling. "I was thinking about it, but I can't fight in such cramped spaces. That you did, is bravery."

Her words garnered a huff as Yazoo turned away, though his ears were red. Embarrasment and quiet pride flit through the connection, leaving both the adult-sized Raul and Loz grinning. The former had lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he did, considering he was gorging himself on the standard MRE's that some of the others had donated to the cause.

"Did you know that there was something Jenova-tainted down there? Was that why you didn't want to go in the first place?" Reeve idly toyed with a pencil he collected from his makeshift desk, turning it over in his hands and tapping the end against some of the paperwork in front of him.

"No. It's a disgusting tube lined with mako, disease, rat-droppings and who knows what else." The slender clone straightened enough to shoot the director a grimace. "Would -you- want to crawl through something like that?"

"No, I suppose not." Tuesti smiled apologetically, setting the pencil down.

* * *

By the time they opened up the chasm, the Jenova-tainted creature was nowhere to be seen. Armed with the knowledge of what might potentially be there, the former soldiers took their time searching the place and concluded that it must have escaped further down. The description of a singular large feline eye surrounded by tendrils and attached to the body of some manner of leech-like creature was passed around, and everyone kept their eyes peeled as they worked. It was this heightened awareness that led to the first sightings of people at another reactor. People wearing dark blue uniforms and respirators, lined with a brighter blue. They were largely left to their own devices beyond the handful of people set to keep an eye on them, and Loz reported that they had scouts of their own keeping tabs on them as he returned back to camp after another scavenging trip.

All told, after three months of hard work they had three of the eight main reactors functional, two more (including the one being worked on by the Deepground forces) nearly finished and one marked as beyond repair. An anonymous letter left at the reactor repaired by Deepground indicated that reactor zero, the hidden ninth reactor of the city, was also functional. The materia factory was in working condition, and they were ready to start if they needed to.

All that was left, was to determine who would be on which team, and what reactor they would be assigned to when they tried to trigger a reunion.


	34. Chapter 34

Grim determination had settled through the room. They had, to a man, worked on the other reactors as hard as they could to avoid having to talk about the eventual need to divide into teams. Kunsel quietly sipped his coffee as they all stared at each other, before the clone stepped forward and sighed.

"I believe it would be best if all of you stuck together as one team. We have four functioning reactors, with reactor 0 remaining largely unattached to the materia factory we intend to use. Deepground has one of their own, and we will use it as a backup should anything happen to the main one." Surveying the others, the question that nobody asked was almost palpable and caused Raul to pinch the bridge of his nose before he looked around at the gathered former soldiers. "I know. If something happens, then the likelihood of all of us being able to try again are slim. To which, I must say, that if you fear death or failure more than you wish to try, that there is no shame in walking away now. You have all helped us repair the reactors, you have felt what it is like to have another attempt to control you, and you have worked hard to help bring us all this far. You should be proud. All of you, should be proud."

"Raul, I know you're really trying your hardest but you're not -really- Sephiroth. You don't _have_ to try and give us a motivational speach." Sidney snickered, unfolding his arms and stepping forward to punch the clone in the shoulder. The tension in the room evaporated as a few of the others chuckled.

"I was trying to emulate Angeal, actually." Sheepishly, Raul rubbed the back of his head and managed a smile. "Everything I thought of that might be in my own words seemed... Rather lacking in heroics."

"You'll never know until you try. Go on, what were you going to say?" Bryce shifted to sit on the edge of the cot in Raul's tent, stretching his legs out.

"Well... That I'm glad that all of you are here, for starters. The thought of having to do this alone utterly terrifies me, after all. Nobody wants to willingly go through this if we can get away without having to. But that's the problem, isn't it. We -do- have to. All of us know that if we don't, then the planet - and every living thing that calls it home - is completely and utterly _fucked_ , isn't it." Heads nodded, and some of those assembled looked grimly determined once more. "The chances of this working aren't exactly optimal. We know we can trigger a reunion, we know that when enough of Jenova and Sephiroth's cells gather that they will begin to tear at our minds. Which is, to put it mildly, a horribly traumatizing thing to go through."

"I'd drink to that if we still had any rum." Jack, the quietest of the group muttered to himself as he frowned, reaching up to rub his temples. His long brown hair was tied back in a low tail at the nape of his neck, and he looked around before settling down in the folding chair by the desk.

"Funny you should say that." The pale-faced redhead beside him grinned, before pulling a flask from his belt and offering it with a flourish. "I lifted it from Gerald this morning."

"Robert, you scoundrel, I wondered where in the hells that got to." Shaking his head, the shorter former soldier folded his arms and grumbled as Jack accepted the flask and took a drink. "At least pass it 'round, let everyone take a swig. It's customary, after all."

"Just in case some of us don't make it back. Which is always a possibility, although I'd hesitate to call it a probability." Raul reached out, snagging the flask and taking a swig himself before passing it along to Paul. "We've practiced for this. We've trained. We've endured the experience and know how to combat it. It won't be easy, but then again when is anything? All of us fought to get into the SOLDIER program, and clawed a living out of the remains of the world after Shinra went to shit."

"Cheers to that." Kunsel poured his shot into his coffee, before passing it to the next in line.

"Between Wutai, Hojo's experiments and Deepground, we've all seen some terrible things." The clone reached up, idly toying with some of the beads that weighed his bangs down while the others muttered agreements of varying loudness. "I know, when Jenova is gone for good I'm going to have absolutely no idea what to do with myself. I don't know if that's because I don't wholly expect this to go smoothly and that some part of me believes that I'm going to die, but I -do- know that every moment working beside all of you has been an honour. Not simply because when you look at me, you see -me- instead of the man who's face I bear, but because we're SOLDIER, every one of us. And that is a closer bond than family, for me."

"Raul, you sly dog. And here you said you didn't have anything heroic to say." Gerald stepped in to jostle him with an elbow, snickering and reaching up to clap the much taller clone on the shoulder. "After this, how about we all go down to Tifa's bar in Edge, and then you tell us your real name. Sound like a plan?"

"Oh fine. I suppose I can let the mystery end at that point." Raul reached to ruffle the shorter, slender man's hair. They all grinned at that, before looking solemn as he turned to survey everyone around him. "All of you will work together with Sidney as your squad leader at reactor three with a number of Reeve's other WRO forces, in the event that any of you must be restrained. I will take position at reactor two with Genesis, who I don't doubt will revel in the opportunity to beat my ass like a drum should I start trying to leave and go out to kill people. Mister Vincent and Miss Tifa will be with Loz and Yazoo at reactor one. The rest of Avalanch and the WRO will be on standby at a safe distance, while Tseng and the rest of the Turks will be stationed within the materia factory with Reeve and a handful of other engineers who will begin the process of turning whatever answers our call into materia."

"What if Sephiroth or Jenova take on a physical form?" Bryce stretched his arms, curling and flexing his fingers before dropping them onto his lap. "We can't exactly physically fight and mentally fight at the same time."

"Genesis has generously offered his copies as fodder to keep them physically busy. He said, and I quote, that if they must die like dogs eventually at least they'll have the opportunity for one last meaningful hunt in the name of humanity. He then began to quote LOVELESS, but I'm sure none of you need to hear it." The clone grimaced. "Of course, the first casualty is always the plan, but so long as we each stick to our respective strategic locations everything else can be improvised."

* * *

Clearing his throat quietly outside of the tent was a polite habit for the clone, and from within there came a quiet 'come in'. Pushing through the flaps, he frowned when he caught sight of both remnants sitting on the floor, back to back as they each cleaned their respective weapons.

"... I didn't think those required maintenance. Isn't it simply a matter of re-manifesting them?" Sitting down near by, Raul quirked a brow as Yazoo glanced over and let out a long sigh. "... Unless it's simply to engage the hands and clear the mind, such as a meditative aid?"

"Tomorrow, we go against Mother." The burly remnant's voice was quiet as he methodically reassembled the grip, fastening it back into place while his shoulders slumped.

"You don't have to, you know." Shifting to his knees, the clone reached out to pull Loz against his chest in a one armed hug, the other reaching out to try and capture the slender remnant the same way. That neither of them struggled spoke volumes about how much they needed the reassurance. "You are still my brothers, no matter what."

"We're going. Don't think you can stop us." Yazoo sullenly tucked his face against Raul's shoulder as he set down the barrel of his velvet nightmare. "You need us."

"I do. Humanity does. I will not lie and say that should you leave we will not suffer for it. But this is asking quite a bit of the two of you, and I would see you both spared if I could." The clone sighed, shaking his head before drawing away and settling back down onto his rump.

"It won't be easy." The burly remnant finished reassembling one of his dual hounds.

Yazoo nodded, before glancing over and refocusing on his work, sounding resigned. "Where do you need us?"

"We'll be there, and call to Mother." Loz flexed his fingers, smiling faintly.

"Thank you. Reactor three, with Mister Vincent and Miss Tifa. They should be able to support both of you in the event that Sephiroth manifests." Both remnants nodded at Raul's words, before sharing a glance. A moment of silence reigned before the burly remnant ducked his head.

"Brother... Will... You stay with us for the night?"

The clone smiled. "Of course."

* * *

The morning was like any other. Dusty, with everyone eating their breakfast in the trucks that shepherded them from the camp beside Edge and the reactors that had been finished. The various groups joked back and forth, chatted amicably to each other over the radios and said their share of 'see you laters' and hopes for what supper would be as the trucks split up to head to each of their destinations. Just another day at work, really.

Except it wasn't. Not really. The conversation covered the silences that sometimes struck the odd member of their plan, filling the gap before they were roused once more to rejoin. The amiable atmosphere covered the tension that lay like a blanket, ignored and kicked to the side but still utterly present and accounted for.

"Did you talk to her before the convoys split up?" Genesis quirked a brow at the clone as they exited the back of the truck, eyes narrowing at how Raul shifted and looked away. "Congratulations, Clone-boy. You're even dumber than I thought. Smashing expectations at every turn."

"I was drunk, she was drunk, nothing even happened. If I survive this, then I'll have faced the most terrifying threat to the planet and will doubtless have the courage to do something about it, but in the meantime I formally request that you _leave it lie, Genesis_." The clone eye-twitched as he belted the sheath for his sword around his waist, though the tone of his voice betrayed his amusement. "If you keep meddling in my love-life I'll just presume _you_ want to bed me instead. You certainly seem to take a great enough interest in whether I'm single or not."

"Hmm, tempting." The red-head fluttered his eyelashes, striking a coy pose before tossing his head and combing some of his hair back. "However I believe I'm _far_ too glamorous for you to handle. I'm also older, so I doubt I'd care to hear the remarks about how I might be robbing the cradle."

"I'm not -that- young." Raul pursed his lips, exasperated. "Though you -do- have a point. You're clearly too high maintenance for my salary. I'd never be able to pay for the expensive wines, let alone the expensive dines."

"Hah!"

"Though, I might be able to sell the feathers you shed. Imagine how much they might go for, marketed as 'Genuine General Genesis Pinions, Plumes and Potential Pillow-stuffers'. I'd make a killing." The clone smirked at the snort that came from his companion as they waved at driver as the truck pulled away and headed back down the road. "... We begin in half an hour. Everyone should be in place by then."

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return." Genesis reached back to settle a hand on the hilt of his Rapier, staring at the repaired reactor.

"Acts three and..." Raul narrowed his eyes while he started to pick his way along the walkways. "...Five?"

"If you must question, then I've clearly been remiss with your education." A book was produced, and the red-clad swordsman flipped to the beginning and grinned as the clone groaned.

* * *

The alarm on his phone beeped quietly, causing the clone to look at it and manage a small smile. "As much as I _enjoy_ listening to you recite LOVELESS word for word and verse for verse, it seems I've been saved by the bell."

"So you have." Genesis ambled back a few steps and drew his sword, idly inspecting it as he tucked the book away. "... I've regretted it for a while, you know. Saying those things to him at the reactor. I don't think I could apologize if I tried, though."

"I think he knows." Raul squared his shoulders and settled in the middle of the walkway. Faintly, at a distance on either side of him he could feel a ripple of static that indicated that both of the other groups had started and closed his eyes. "If I turn, make it quick. You have an exploitable habit of not protecting your feet and the first thing I would do is try and trip you."

"You-"

And then he was focusing, reaching and pulling, another voice in the chorus.


	35. Chapter 35

_... I'm... Sorry..._

_We... I... No..._

_... My... Son..._

_... I'm so sorry..._

* * *

Ears ringing, Raul blinked up at the hole in what had previously been the ceiling. Everything hurt, and the metal underneath him was pleasantly cold through his wet clothing. Foggily, he tried to recall what, exactly, had happened and found nothing more than a gaping hole in his memory. What had he been doing here? Where was here? Why did he taste blood?

Why did he feel -heavy- as he rolled and spat onto the grate, before blinking as a subtle rushing sound rose about him. Below, a silver-grey river ran and seemed to almost throw itself into the pipes that lined the walls. Some part of him was glad that it was working-

It. What was it, he wondered as he put his knees under him and reached for the nearby railing with one hand and feeling at his face with the other. Blood from his nose crusted his upper lip and more matted some of his hair under his ears. There was an important _thing_ on the edges of his mind, but he could barely think through the static that buzzed in his head like a swarm of bees. Something was horribly wrong, vaguely somewhere, and that bothered him.

Wobbling, the clone checked himself over for obvious wounds. He had a lump on the back of his head that was tender, but otherwise seemed uninjured. Blinking rapidly and trying not to wince, he looked around to try and get a better idea of what, exactly, was going on as his ears popped and sound hit him as it would a someone who was finally reaching the surface of a lake.

Swords clashing, yelling, shots being fired elsewhere echoed through the world, and with them came meaning. He had started to pull and call, the first tendrils of the tainted lifestream had been directed into the pipes and then... Pain lanced through his head, and he had to grip the railing and lean to keep himself from falling over. There had been eyes. Red eyes, at first, followed by feline green. They hadn't been there physically, but they had opened in his mind's one after the other, and with them came pain.

There had been a struggle, he remembered that now. Someone had been there with him, someone strong and who had leapt over him and frozen him to the metal grating with a powerful ice spell. Red hair, blue eyes, red sword. There had been words, though not with him, before the red-clad swordsman had manifested a wing and broken through the ceiling as he slowly drifted into darkness.

It couldn't have been that long ago. The bars were still cool and his clothes were wet. How long did it take ice to melt? In the heat of the active reactor, probably not long at all. In fact, if he was a betting man he would have bet less than half an hour ago. Lifting his hand, he grunted and tried to block out the static that he could have sworn was vibrating through his bones now. He had to go somewhere. He was _needed_ , but it was hard to tell what direction the pull came from. Was it downwards? Left? Right? Ahead and above?

( _No, that was wrong. He -was- needed, but not like **that** , whatever **that** was. He had to go somewhere because his friends were out there, not because he was being called. Anything that usurped the ability to choose was inherently wrong._)

His sword was gone. There was a faint inkling that it had fallen off the walkway and now lay somewhere at the bottom of the tainted mako-filled hole that was below him. A jagged shard of metal with a wrapped handle had been strapped to the inside of his forearm though, so he drew that and looked towards the doorway. There were people out there, somewhere. His friends. The man with the red sword and hair was Genesis. They were fighting.

They needed him a whole lot more than the smothering sensation that curled and coiled in the back of his head.

* * *

There were two foes, from what he could tell, and both of them could fly. One of them was rather close, while the other was farther away. He could work with that, though he didn't quite trust how he knew. After climbing a partially collapsed building he could see the closer one and noted the way puffs of fire, blossoms of ice and sparks of electricity cascaded across her. They seemed particularly small in comparison, which meant that she had to be the size of the mess hall at least. Four wings, all white, emerged from her back and tentacles that emerged from her waist acted as a sort of skirt, curling and coiling and periodically revealing feet even as some of them seemed to be resolutely curled into a ball at her lower back. Long silver hair whipped about her head and in each hand she held a glowing length of light that she would periodically swoop lower and lash out at something on the ground with.

As he watched, captivated, he found her the most beautiful thing in the world. She was graceful, she was poised and deadly as she laughed a laugh of tinkling bells that tickled the edges of his mind. An invitation to dance with her, to step on these ants that hassled her-

( _Kunsel. Sidney. Bryce. Jack. The ants had -names-. They weren't ants at all. They were his friends._ )

-because they were -ruining- her picnic. She was here, she was free to feed and killing her would only put her back in the lifestream-

( _Paul. Robert. Daryld. Gerald. Dispersing her into the lifestream here would mean she would either re-manifest immediately or get drawn into the pipes below for processing._ )

-and she had paused, drifting up and was -looking- at him with pretty red eyes, face twisting into a snarl that was as dangerous as it was gorgeous. She would -not- be separated and stilled like that, and he would do well to serve him while he still had a chance, the _ungrateful little wretch that he was-_

( _She was in his head then. Fully in his head, which explained a few things. Knowing was half the battle though, and as hard as she tried to suppress him and press down on him with her mental weight he could feel the smile that crossed his face and held close the blurry, rapidly solidifying image of brown eyes above cards he had cheated and snuck to her under the noses of two turks._ )

She was ugly. Too perfect, like one of those creepy dolls. Completely symmetrical, with too-large eyes and a too-small mouth that housed too-white, square teeth. The wings across her back were a mockery of the depictions of angels, a stolen imagery, part of a mask. As much as she looked like the depictions of Minerva and content to play the part, she fell short of what she had attempted. She wasn't beautiful, she simply looked that way.

Jenova shrieked, the sound grating as he pushed the last of the buzzing static into the back of his mind and locked it away. Saluting with the dagger, Raul started down the side of the broken building and ran to catch up to the others.

* * *

"Sidney, report!"

The former soldier 2nd grit his teeth as his MBarrier cracked under the weight of another one of Jenova's strikes, not bothering to glance back as the clone skittered in under the shelter the spell provided. "Daryld and Gerald are down, and I don't think we can take another one of those hits. Kunsel took three of the others to flank while we held the line, but we need a way to ground her! We're sitting chocobo's down here."

"I have an idea. Who else has a Barrier equipped?" Raul looked over at the others that were there, exhausted, and nodded as Bryce and Robert lifted their hands. "Good. I need aerial platforms that I can jump from. I can bring her down, but I need stairs. That's your jobs, while Sidney continues to give support."

"Raul-"

"They don't need to last long. Once I'm on her, she won't be able to shake me that easily. Three platforms should do it." The clone stepped over and offered a hand out to each of them once he had stuffed the dagger back into the makeshift sheath along his forearm, and they looked at each other before reaching out and accepting the help up. "Sidney, you'll have to last one more strike, I'm afraid."

The former 2nd grimaced, but nodded and turned his eyes back to the sky. "I don't suppose you've got an ether on you. We've burned through our supplies of both those and potions."

"No, but I requested backup on the way and Reeve said he would do what he cou- She's coming around. Get ready." Turning and scrambling up the closest pile of rubble, Raul kept low and watched as the winged figure oriented on the group and hauled herself through the air, one hand out. Almost lazily, the lash of light flicked out and came down hard across the area, and as it fizzled and faded the clone had pushed himself up and was already running and leaping off of the top of the rubble. The winged creature shrieked and skewed to the side, seeking to avoid him even as she beat her wings to gain altitude, and he started to plummet before a faint shimmer materialized underneath him.

Two running strides had him leaping again, a second slightly rounded platform shimmering into existence under him as he crossed the distance and as he kicked off the the second time he was too close for her to avoid him. She rolled, bringing a second lash of light to bear but it met a faint shimmer in the air and was skewed aside, buying him enough time to sink the dagger into her side and grab hold of some of the feathers that acted as a stabilizing tail.

Raul didn't have the luxury of pondering the grace that they gave her, firmly squashing any similar thoughts as he hauled himself up onto her back as she bucked and rolled in the air. He got to one of the smaller secondary wings and latched on, wrapping his legs around the thrashing, flailing appendage as he reached for one of the main ones and began to hack at the base where it was connected to her back.

Pain tore through his mind as Jenova went into another roll, and he lost his grip on the wing as his vision briefly went black. He had started to slide off before a wave of cold washed over him, a thick layer of ice locking his legs around the wing and securing him while he recovered only to realize that the dagger was gone now too. Dropped as his world had darkened and consciousness threatened to slip from his grasp.

* * *

Yazoo hissed, curled protectively against Loz as the burly remnant whimpered and clutched his head. Physically beaten and battered by Jenova's emergence from the tainted lifestream, they both clung to each other for support as the battle raged on above them. Her pain pounded through them, clawing along their backs and as he looked up he could briefly see their brother partially frozen in place and trying to cripple one of the main wings with nothing more than his bare hands.

They were useless in this fight. He _hated_ that. _Loz_ hated that, but there wasn't much either of them could do. He couldn't fight with a broken arm and the burly remnant certainly couldn't run with how one of his feet had been twisted to point backwards. There had to be -something- he could do. Something -they- could do, and as the slender remnant cast about he caught sight of his Velvet Nightmare. It's twin was strapped in place on his brother's hip, and he reached out to heft the gun and hissed as the weight of it pulled the muscles across his shoulder and back. The metal weapon thunked against the ground, before he swallowed and looked back up. If he could concentrate, maybe...

Loz whimpered, grit his teeth, and wrapped both arms around the slender remnant. For a moment, for Yazoo, the storm was calm and he closed his eyes.

* * *

The feathers were surprisingly hard to pull out by hand. Silky smooth and sturdily anchored, haul as he might it was like trying to pull hair out of the bottom of the vacuum. Without being able to curl it around his hand, he simply lacked purchase, and as much as he tried to haul on the wing itself all he managed to really do was alter her flight just the tiniest bit.

Pausing, Raul fought the urge to look behind him as warmth spread across his back and down his arm, a quiet memory weaving through his consciousness. -This- was how the handle felt, -this- was what the weight of it was like and -this- was the way to brace against the force of the recoil the memory told him. All he had to do, was reach out and it was there.

"Yazoo...?"

The memory faltered, flickering under the onslaught of a shared pain as Jenova shrieked and rolled, trying to avoid the stinging of the lightning and fire that were peppering her torso every time she reached a certain part of the city before he focused and held out a hand. The weight was a familiar one, an extension of his arm, and as he opened his eyes he couldn't help but smile and let the renewed hope that had kindled within him grow.

Armed with the Velvet Nightmare, the clone took hold of the primary wing he had been working on and pressed the muzzle into place, unloading shot after shot into the muscle and bone and taking grim satisfaction in the way his Not-Mother yowled.

* * *

Gasping and flinching, the slender remnant opened his eyes and tried to wrap an arm around the shuddering, sobbing Loz that had born the brunt of the backlash. Swallowing dryly, he opened his mouth to say something before a voice caught him off guard.

"Yazoo! Loz! We finally found you! Vincent, lower me further, they're on a ledge about twenty feet down!"

It was Tifa, dirt and dust smeared across her and some of her hair matted against the side of her head with dried blood, a rope tied around her waist as she navigated the opening and kicked off from the wall to swing over and snag the ledge they were perched on. The sky behind her was lit with another explosion that sent a fine layer of dust drifting down to re-coat everything, and her smile was as determined as it was relieved.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. Just hold on a little longer!"

"I'm not crying..." Mumbled the slender remnant, catching the edges of the hope that surged through the connection and and feeling his breath catch in his throat.

* * *

When Jenova hit the ground, she hit -hard-. Hard enough that the impact broke the ice keeping the clone anchored in place and sending him skidding and rolling across the ground until he came to an abrupt halt against the side of an overturned vehicle. Wasting no time, Raul pushed himself up and wondered how, exactly, he would load the gun portion of the bladed weapon he had been loaned because it was going to run out of bullets eventually, wasn't it?

Picking herself up out of the rubble, Jenova towered over him at nearly twice his height with one primary wing missing and the other hanging limply on an angle. The tendrils that formed her skirt coiled and pushed against the ground, lifting her that much higher and removing her feet from the ground as she tore at her hair and then reached out towards him with both hands.

Expecting a mental onslaught, the clone almost didn't have time to react to the chunks of concrete and rebar that pulled themselves out of the rubble and rocketed across the space between them. Clipped and sent rolling as he dove to the side, Raul worked his way back to his feet and kept moving, periodically firing off shots that seemed to do nothing more than infuriate the winged creature. With a wince, he realized that it was healing rapidly, the bent wing already starting to straighten and he resolved himself to another inevitable aerial battle before people were charging past him.

"Raul! Genesis is fighting Sephiroth near reactor one! We've got things here, go and help him!" A sword flashed past him, batting a piece of debris aside before Kunsel was there, grinning and giving him a thumbs up on the way by and picking up speed. "She's just a thrall, she'll slow down if you take him out!"

Gritting his teeth, the clone nodded and turned to start running.


	36. Chapter 36

Genesis had always had a hard time fighting Sephiroth. It never seemed to matter what he did, but he found himself being knocked back and the countless small injuries he had gained over the course of the last hour were beginning to add up. There were two copies left, and their bait and switch tactics had allowed the red-clad swordsman to land a singular glancing blow that really had seemed to do nothing more than piss the former Silver General off. What made it all worse was that he could tell that Sephiroth was _playing_ with him, picking off his copies with that mildly amused, superior _smirk_ playing about his face.

A trio of well-placed stabs of the ridiculously long sword skewered both eyes and the chest of one of the remaining copies as he surged back to his feet, and it dropped with a hissed out sigh as feline green eyes surveyed him.

"Shoddy worksmanship. Nothing could ever beat the original. Just as you could never beat me." A measured cadence, edged with the same amusement that quirked those stupid lips upwards at the corners only fanned the flames within the red-clad swordsman who wove the Rapier through the air and snarled as he charged.

"You never change, Gen." Each thrust was batted aside with ease before the silver-haired swordsman went into an abrupt spin, lashing out with a line of force that shoved Genesis back. "Always charging ahead without thinking. You know, I hated you after the reactor. I hated you almost more than I hated that bumbling fool, Hojo."

"You have _NO_ right to call me that!" Snapping his hand out, motes of fire manifested in the air around him before expanding and being launched in a barrage aimed for Sephiroth, who laughed and danced back, swatting them into the ground or off to the side where they exploded harmlessly against the rubble around them.

"I am the only one with the right to call you that. Your parents are dead. Angeal is dead. Who is left but me who could?" Masamune was adjusted, shifted into a two handed grip as the silver-haired swordsman set himself and then charged, blade leveled with the hilt close to one of his shoulders. The first thrust was parried, the second barely brushed aside in time and drawing another rippd hole through the Genesis' coat before the third caught him in the shoulder. Dropping down to tear the blade free, the red-clad swordsman lunged and swiped across with his Rapier, hissing as Sephiroth simply slid backwards out of the way and smirked.

"Why are you still even here? In a world that hates Shinra, that hates monsters, why would you still fight for a world that simply... Doesn't want you." The overly long katana shifted through the air, a quiet metallic hum rippling outward as for former Silver General reversed his grip and offered his other hand out. "Come with me, Gen. Lay down your sword, stop this nonsense. On the soil of a new world we will build our own culture, you could have the adoring fans that lavished praise upon you, their Hero."

"While you would be their God? Don't make me laugh." Drawing himself up to his feet, Genesis inspected his shoulder for a moment and cupped his hand over the wound, sealing it with the faint green flickers of a cure spell. He shook his head as, quietly, some of the rubble below them shifted and cascaded down, raising his voice to cover the sound. "You never understood, did you, about what being a Hero really is. They -handed- you the title. Did you think hitting me where you did before and started my degradation would make me give up?"

"You could have everything you ever wanted, instead of this pitiable lonely existence. I won't offer again, Gen. I grow tired of this charade-" Shots rang out, interrupting the silver-haired swordsman who simply turned slightly and flicked his sword up, scattering the bullets that had been aimed for him with a sigh.

"-Jen-? _Really?_ And here I thought -I- was stuck with a terrible nick-name as a child."

Masamune flicked through the air, blocking the horizontal slash Genesis made with the Rapier while Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, largely annoyed. "So, you are the clone that has caused me so much trouble. Nothing but another puppet. I tire of this, kill Genesis and-"

"Kill my friend?" Raul smirked, the expression a mirror to the one the silver-haired swordsman had been wearing until just recently. "-Make- me."

* * *

With potions and ethers, Loz and Yazoo were in far better condition than they had been. The burly remnant could walk and the slender one was able to lift the Velvet Nightmare he had taken from his brother. Both of them were now at the reactor that Raul had been stationed at, considering it was the only one that was still in working order, each standing and doing their best to guide the flow of the tainted lifestream into the pipes below them, with varying degrees of success. Vincent and Tifa had left to help the former soldiers with Jenova, and as reluctant as they had been to be left behind they understood why it was necessary.

Everyone else was busy holding back one foe or another. They were all that was left that could maintain a reunion, and uninjured they were dealing with the pain that flared across the connection far better than they had been before. Looking at one another, they nodded before the world around them abruptly skewed, leaving them in a field of flowers.

"I've been waiting for you."

"... Kadaj...?" Yazoo turned, only to smile softly. "You-"

"We don't have much time." The third of their happy little family stepped towards them, setting a hand on each of their shoulders before smiling. "You're doing better, but you're still losing ground. Let me help you."

Loz sniffled and reached out to pull both of his brothers into a hug.

* * *

Raul could feel the slight shift through the connection as he fought the way his muscles were locking and disobeying him. So far he had managed to prevent himself from doing more than staggering a step and vaguely waving the gun in his hand towards the red-clad swordsman who traded blows with Sephiroth as if every one of them was earning him gil. The silver-haired swordsman was scowling with the effort of trying to force the clone to shoot Genesis and fend off the furious blur of red that beset him at every step and turn.

( ** _Finally. I wondered when their third would engage. Now then._** )

Sephiroth's hold loosened, snapping the black-clad swordsman's focus towards the clone who shook off the remains of his control and leveled the gun, tracking the movements of both of them and trying to place his shots in a manner that would avoid Genesis. After he nearly clipped the red-clad swordsman he frowned and looked down at the weapon in his hand.

( ** _You already know how. Why do you hesitate?_** )

( _He could remember the weight of it. The feel of it in his hand, the texture of the leather wrapping the grip. The way the light glinted along the edge of it, and Cloud's tired face as he offered the sheathed weapon out. I want you to think about the similarities and differences, the blond swordsman had said, Don't break it._ )

Fingers curling, the clone smiled and trusted that the sword would be there. He bolted forward to join the fray, swinging with the bladed edge of the weapon Yazoo had lent him. Sparks flew as the black-clad swordsman dragged the sword along the Rapier, using the length to lock both weapons against it before grunting and looking down at the shorter katana that had embedded itself in his stomach. Genesis laughed as they disengaged, watching as Sephiroth reached down to feel at the wound and then looked back up, enraged.

"Well now, Clone-boy we might just win this yet."

* * *

As much as he hated to admit it, Genesis was slowing down. His singular remaining copy would return soon, however, and he was certain that the little shrimp that was spinning back and forth to rattle off blows against the silver-haired swordsman's blade would last the thirty seconds it took him to down an ether. If he could just close the rest of his wounds he was certain he'd be able to press harder.

"I promise you this, Puppet, that you will weep for what I will do to the WRO." The Masamune came around in a downward diagonal strike that Raul put both weapons together to slide aside, burying the point of the longer weapon into the ground and trading the headbutt he received for the boot he planted in Sephiroth's torso, kicking the silver-haired swordsman back while Genesis stepped in to sweep his Rapier across horizontally and drive the former General back further.

"Clone-boy, can you manage for a minute?" The red-clad swordsman eased back as Raul rushed into the gap created, bringing the Velvet Nightmare across so that it caught the blocking Masamune and then tried to thrust forward with his katana. Sephiroth leapt back, scowling and avoiding the strike completely even as he lightly touched down a short distance away.

"I can manage for two. I knew you were old, but I didn't expect you to be out of breath quite this early in the game...!"

"You cheeky monkey. I've been fighting him for much longer than you have!" Grinning and starting to hustle his way up one of the nearby piles of rubble, Genesis fought the urge to flinch as metal rasped against metal a few feet away and Raul grunted. The copy was just touching down, holding out both of the ethers it had recovered and as the red-clad swordsman reached for one he partially turned, catching movement through his minion's eyes.

Sephiroth was _right there_ , sword extended and thrusting out only to bury itself halfway to the hilt in the copy beside him, staring at it in confusion before grunting as Raul hit him from behind. A black wing burst into being, sweeping the clone away, and Genesis could have laughed if he hadn't been busy chugging the energy-replenishing ether. He had -seen- movements like that before, where a certain hit would turn aside and result in a miss, and he didn't have to have a connection to the silver-haired swordsman's mind to know that somewhere in there the man that was his friend had joined the fight.

The second ether went down as quickly as the first had, and as he sealed his wounds with a quick casting of cure he watched as Raul was batted down to the ground by the flat of Muramasa and took advantage of the way Sephiroth was partially turned away from him to adjust his grip on his Rapier and bring it down in a two-handed strike. The silver-haired swordsman stepped aside, letting the blade pass him by before shifting and aiming to introduce his elbow into the red-clad swordsman's face and smirking at the resulting crunch of the now broken nose.

"You think your little friend will save you? I've already scattered him once. Maybe this time, I'll leave him together long enough to listen to you as you beg for mer-" Two shots rang out, the first drawing a hiss from the black-clad swordsman who spun back to Raul and deflected the second.

"You know, I think Yazoo's on to something. I could -really- get behind this idea of having a gun built into a sword. Or is it a sword built into a gun? No matter." A dismissive shrug rolled one of the clone's shoulders as he let a smirk curl about the corners of his mouth, playing for time as Genesis brought a hand up to his face to fix his nose as quietly as he could. "Come now, you didn't -really- think that they would listen to two distant authority figures that only used and abused them, did you? Everyone knows that the more gentle bonds of love are the ones that bind us the tightest. I stole them from you, your Charisma and Charm, your Strength and Speed, by simply showing them kindness. They're mine now."

( ** _I will give you one opening._** )

"Mere vessels for my power, and you think their loss might hurt me?" A silver brow quirked as the black-clad swordsman idly ambled down the pile of rubble, settling on the remains of the road and smirking. "All you have done, is expanded the list of those who will die painfully, slowly, cursing your name with their last breath."

"And who will do this, hmm? You and what army? Jenova is neutralized, locked down despite your incessant shrieking for her to join you and end us. You have lost the last of your puppets, and I don't quite think I've ever pitied anyone who has ever been quite so alone. Yield, and we may yet end this before the sun sets." Raul idly tapped the flat of his katana against his shoulder, watching as Genesis dropped down onto the road behind Sephiroth to flank him. Briefly, the flicker of what opening would be offered flit across his mind, and he hummed thoughtfully. "Or, you know, don't. I find myself rather enjoying the way you hiss and yowl through the lifestream for your mother."

Feline green eyes narrowed and met perfectly human emerald ones as the clone let his smirk grow. It was a good smirk, one that he had practiced and one that Genesis utterly hated. It was the smirk that Sephiroth used, and it fit naturally on his face to say without words that there wasn't a chance in hell that his opponent would do more than fail. It had the intended effect, as the black-clad swordsman snapped the overly long katana up and bolted forward, rapidly stabbing with the tip and drawing sparks against each of Raul's blades as he swatted and swiped to knock them aside. Genesis stepped up, lunging with the Rapier and blinking in surprise as it went through the black-clad swordsman, leaning back somewhat as the clone's katana exited Sephiroth's back at nearly the same time, a few inches over from his own blade.

"You... Were doomed to fail, right from the start you know." Raul's voice was soft, almost sad sounding as he tucked the barrel of the Velvet Nightmare up under the silver-haired swordsman's chin, shaking his head and smiling gently even as the former soldier 1st trembled in place, muscles locked and fighting to both move and refrain from moving. "I think Rufus said it best when he told Kadaj that for every Sephiroth, for every Jenova, there is a countering force. You will always come back, but we will always be waiting. Even if it takes an eternity."

"You-"

The sharp retort of the Yazoo's gift was accompanied by a splatter of blood as, suddenly limp, the body between Raul and Genesis slowly crumpled to the ground.

* * *

"I may have mentioned it already, but somehow you continue to surprise me with the depth of your stupidity." The red-clad swordsman braced a foot against the clone's torso, easing the Masamune out from where it had gone through the latter's torso almost to the hilt. "What did you do, _throw_ yourself onto it?"

"The Remnant of the Past dipped the blow to the side. It avoided my lung, though the kidney is another matter entirely." Wobbling as the last of the length was pulled free, they both sat down heavily even as Genesis reached out to apply the last of his magic to the wound, stemming the flow of blood. "He... Isn't going to get back up immediately, is he?"

"No, that body is -quite- dead." And it was. The red-clad swordsman had made it a point to stab and hack away at it for a good thirty seconds before he realized that Raul had a sword through him. "As much as I'd like to sit around, we should go and help the others with Jenova."

"I don't know. I haven't heard her since that one final shriek when Sephiroth died." Fishing around in his pockets, the clone retrieved his phone and inspected it for damage. Finding it remarkably whole, he flipped it open and dialed a number without looking, laying back as he did.

_"... odness, I forgot I put that there. Raul?"_

"Miss Tifa, you're still alive. I find myself relieved. Any casualties? Jenova?"

_"Robert and Bryce. Paul might not ever walk again, but we're working on it. Jenova shrieked and fled a few minutes ago. What about on your end?"_

"Genesis, did any of your forces survive?" The clone closed his eyes, finding the ground far more comfortable than he had originally thought it would be as the former soldier 1st snickered.

"None save for the two guarding Weiss." Genesis stretched his legs out, groaning softly at the aches of too-quickly healed wounds caught up with him. "You promised, too. Don't forget."

"All copies in attendance and one God-complex Sephiroth are the only casualties here, Miss Tifa." Raul blinked open his eyes, tilting his head at the red-clad swordsman before huffing quietly as his meaning became clear. "Unless you count my resolve.

_"Your resolve? What happened?"_

"Nothing, I-" Curling reflexively as Genesis lobbed a rock at him, the clone scowled and clutched his side where the last strike against him burned and protested the movement. "Oof... Miss Tifa, would you do me the honour of going to joining me for supper?"

Giving him two thumbs up, the red-clad swordsman grinned tiredly at the answer his hearing picked up.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ending A  
> I rewrote it

A hundred things could be said about the efficiency of the WRO, and all of them good. Once Genesis had helped him back to the main camp Raul had to wait a handful of minutes before one of the nurses had ushered him inside the medical tent and checked his wounds. Not only that, but she also mentioned that if he needed anyone to talk to, they had a number of trained psychologists on hand ready and willing to talk to him should he need it. He would have felt suspicious about it, save that he heard the same thing being told to anyone and everyone who was currently a patient which meant that it wasn't simply because of the Jenova and Sephiroth thing.

If that wasn't reassuring for his humanity, then he didn't quite know what else might be.

In due time he was released with some advice and found himself standing dumbly outside the tent next to Bryce, who was staring down at the cast his left leg was in almost mournfully. They shared a moment of silence before Raul glanced over and blinked.

"Do you know which direction she fled in?"

"West." The seated former solider looked over, only to re-focus on his leg. Toes stuck out the end of the cast, and slowly flexed and curled. "She just about took off my leg. If Sidney hadn't... He threw me, and was almost cut in half."

"He's tough, Bryce. He's in critical care now, but that simply means we need to add another three days to his recovery time. SOLDIER's heal fast, even former ones." The clone looked back out towards the camp where people were hustling and bustling about like ants, and sighed. "Keep me appraised of his condition, please. I have a promise to keep."

* * *

_Sephiroth had once been known as the Demon of Wutai, and for a plethora of very good reasons. Efficient, ruthless and an excellent tactician, he had earned every inch of soil his forces had taken and stained it red. There was an understanding between him and the proud people of that war-ravaged land, and it had been born of the seemingly endless conflict. There was no shame in fleeing from him if they encountered him, and he honoured the choices and bravery of those who chose not to by granting them a quick death. Fear tactics could have been useful, but early on he had found himself fond of their way of life and thus chose not to engage in such things._

_It would have been dishonourable, and honour was a concept he had been introduced to and found himself wide-eyed and somewhat in awe of when he had met Angeal. Of course, his father hadn't cared one way or another as long as he remained obedient, so he watched and learned and absorbed this abstract concept like a sponge. An unspoken language understood by warriors everywhere? Something that he could make his, something that could temper him as he quietly grew into the weapon as intended? An invisible, intangible thing that couldn't be taken away from him like the toys he had been given?_

_A young Sephiroth had once been secretly delighted, and smart as he was had quietly woven it into everything he could. He was never as verbose about it as Angeal had been, but at the tender age of sixteen he still hadn't had much in the way of socialization and far preferred to observe and analyze than add to a conversation no matter how hard Genesis tried to get him to talk. It had only taken one social blunder for the silver haired teenager to clam up and put into practice the concept of 'less is more' when it came to talking._

_In this, in what he did now, there was no honour. But then again, the Imposter wasn't of Wutai and didn't believe in the concept of honour either. He sought to use children as a weapon, and that... That was wrong. What had been done to him as a child, had been wrong. What had been done to Aerith, had been wrong. Hojo's dream, Jenova, Shinra and SOLDIER, all of it had been wrong._

_His will surged through the lifestream, clashing repeatedly with that of the Imposter and sending ripples and shock waves like two fish fighting in a small bowl of water. It was akin to fighting a sick, rabid beast; easy to lead around in circles so that it tired itself out as he chipped and whittled away at it. Still, as any cornered animal, any time he got close enough to proverbially get it by the throat it would twist and snap at him and he would lose that last bit of purchase he had gained and had to work to earn it back as Zack and Aerith helped keep the proverbial bowl of water from tipping over and spilling them both out._

_On the other side, everyone was counting on him._

_The memories and thought filled him with determination, and so he grimly fought on._

* * *

"You're worried."

Tifa watched Raul as he glanced away, sheepish.

"I... Am. Loz and Yazoo are still maintaining a Reunion, and Jenova flew off somewhere. Sephiroth still has the chance of manifesting from the tainted lifestream we have gathered, so while we managed to win this battle he could resurface at any given moment. But if he was going to, would he not do so now, while we're weakened by the previous conflict?" Sighing, the clone idly poked the paper plate in front of him with his plastic fork, pushing around some of the potato salad that he hadn't yet finished. "I had hoped perhaps that after this fight, everything would be... Finished."

Tifa reached out, laying her hand atop his forearm and smiled. "It -is- over, it's just a matter of time now. She has two options. Heed the Reunion call and come back here, or be hunted down, killed and pulled here through the lifestream. Either way, we need you here."

Raul blinked down at her hand, before looking up at her face and feeling a frown pull at the corners of his lips. He thought about Cloud, understood a measure of why the blond swordsman kept leaving. There was so much to do out there, so much that needed the strength of a good sword or diplomacy, but... Swallowing slightly, the clone set down the fork and gently took her hand between both of his own, emerald eyes drifting down to it.

"I will stay, I promise." A slight smile curled the corners of his lips up as she squeezed his hands before he looked back up to meet her eyes. "My name is Richard. I was born in Cosmo canyon to one Barbara Cosmos, who fled Midgar after the man she had loved left her heavy with me and changed her surname from Copeland to the one I inherited from her. All I ask is that if you must call me by my name, _please_ don't use my surname. The last thing I need is another resurgence of 'Cosmic Dick' jokes."

Tifa tucked her other hand over her mouth, pressing her lips together and trying to stifle the snickers that threatened to emerge and nodding instead before pausing. "Wait, another resurgence?"

"I made the mistake of telling Genesis what my name is, and have yet to live it down." That got a laugh, and as they resumed eating and chatting about the small things in life the clone found the food wasn't quite as tasteless as it had seemed before.

* * *

_Every moment he spent fighting the Imposter was another moment that the tainted lifestream was siphoned away. There was a momentum to it, and with Aerith's help even if the Reunion stopped it wouldn't be easy for the tide to turn back. Sephiroth knew it was only a matter of time now, and knew that the Imposter was aware of it as well by how it was growing increasingly frantic. More difficult to deal with, but that was somewhat offset by how it was steadily growing weaker and smaller. It was preparing for something though, gathering it's strength even as he harried and harassed it._

_If he could only get a proper grip on the consciousness! But it was like trying to hold a double handful of silver oil that was determined to escape, and it-_

_The lifestream shifted, a feeling of it recoiling and trying to get out of the way pervaded his senses before the sea of green he was floating in parted before black tendrils amassed behind him and around him. It was a sea of resentment that contained more of the silver that he was trying hard to keep hold of, of eyes that opened and stared at him and at the silver mass that he had hemmed in with his essence. Brown eyes, blue eyes, black and purple. Red eyes, mako-lit green ones, and a maddening buzz of whispers vibrated around him before glowing gold eyes opened beside him. The screams for vengeance and retribution echoed through him, and for a moment he was determined to fight a war on two fronts before it shifted and slithered around him._

_It was souls, he realized. Just like the lifestream, but instead of those that had passed on peacefully these ones were corrupted by wrath and fear and grief._

_Words cooed through the mass, gathering each voice into itself and focusing them. **This** was the cause, they cried and wept. **This** was what took our children, our lovers, our husbands and wives. **This** is the sickness we have sought, that ended us before our time. The words were whispered and snarled, and he watched as the might of countless lives were brought to bear. Former soldiers, the humanities of those lost to Hojo's and Hollander's experiments, the hundreds lost when the Midgar plate fell, he could feel them as they hurled their essence at the tainted lifestream. They circled it, girding it, choking it and locking it in place, eyes beyond counting focused on the mass as it screamed and thrashed.  
_

_The golden eyes turned towards him, larger than the rest, before narrowing. He could feel the weight of Wutai's dead behind them, but there was an understanding that flowed wordlessly from it. It wasn't there for -him-, not yet. For now, the greater threat would be focused on, but after, maybe, later...  
_

_Sephiroth nodded, and redoubled his efforts._

* * *

Raul stretched idly as he paced along the walkway in the functioning reactor. Everything had gone remarkably smoothly for the last three days. Between the remnants, the rest of the former soldiers and himself they had enough people on hand to make sure the pull of the reunion remained steady. They already had a crate of solid silver-grey materia and the process was coming along nicely. Any mastered materia that had been donated by the people (though there was less of it coming in now than there had been before) was being shipped to Nibelheim so that when it was released back into the lifestream it wasn't being dropped into the tainted mass that had been gathered under Midgar.

The amount of mako - tainted or otherwise - that went into materia was staggering. Briefly, he had made his way to the factory where Reeve's Engineers were dressed in their protective suits and watched as countless containers were filled, emptied, and then brought back to the collection of pipes to be refilled. Small wonder the planet had been dying so rapidly before the clone had realized, with how much was drawn up and processed over the course of three decades.

It left him to wonder how long the process would take, before he squinted slightly. Was the chamber getting darker, or was it just him? Moving to the railing, he peered down and fished out his cellphone, dialing rapidly even as he narrowed his eyes. As the line connected, he frowned and cut the greeting short.

"Reeve, come to the reactor. Something's wrong."

* * *

"Without getting closer I can't tell what might be wrong. How far down is that from us?" The director leaned slightly over the railing, quietly whirring as his remotely controlled form tried to see into the darkness that had seemingly consumed the molten silver below.

"A hundred and seventy feet." Raul squinted down, roughing out a figure from the number of panels he could see that lined the inside of the tube and their general uniform length. "It took perhaps fifteen minutes to cover it, but when I placed a call with the factory they reported that it was still silver-grey coming out. Could it be a film of some sort?"

"Ah- I've just reached Vincent. From the images I sent him, he believes that it may be related to the research his father and Dr. Crescent were working on. While it does not look to be a proper manifestation of Chaos it certainly bears a great deal of resemblance to the raw form his father found within the Crystal Cavern. The main difference appears to be that this seems to be a solid, uniform black as opposed to coloured by purples and blues." Tuesti folded his arms, frowning down at the gently undulating mass below them. "A mist that behaves as a liquid and solid both. Curiously enough, the readings I have taken while here indicate that the level of mako in the air, which would be harmful to the average person, has dropped significantl- was that an eyeball?"

The clone blinked and leaned over, searching the darkness below as the darkness flickered and shifted.

* * *

_The concept of forgiveness was a curious one, but as he worked together with the mass of woven together fragments of identity and resentment he caught the edges of it. The eyes that watched him had started to slowly close, one pair after another, and when he had asked after why it was all that was offered. There was hardly any of the tainted lifestream left, and while the planet was badly wounded and running dangerously low on resources he could see that for every pair of eyes that closed, thin wisps of untainted, uncorrupted green drifted past him and into the ocean that surrounded them._

_"It's because you're here." Aerith was beside him, and she set a hand on his shoulder. "Because you're doing everything you can to protect the planet, to save it and they understand. They forgive you, so they let go of their resentment and rejoin the lifestream."_

_"Does this act not weaken it?" The silver-haired swordsman glanced over at her, mystified._

_"I think it was very deliberate when it came here. It could have chosen not to, because of how weak it is, but instead it came anyways, knowing that you're here. Knowing that you're fighting the tainted lifestream. Knowing that even a fraction of the souls gathered within it might dissipate back into the lifestream." Aerith smiled softly at the golden eyes that watched them, clasping her hands behind her back. "Maybe finding forgiveness is part of it's purpose. It's a weapon of the planet, after all. You could learn a thing or two from it."_

_And then she was gone, leaving him with the combined souls of the restless dead as they worked together._

* * *

"Vincent finally managed to dig out the entrance to the Crystal Cavern. There seems to have been some manner of battle there." Reeve passed pictures out across the table, rubbing his temples. "There's no sign of Jenova or Lucretia, and now that the black mass has vanished from the reactor we've officially run out of leads. The former SOLDIERS all decided to start searching the tunnels from there, but so far nothing's been reported."

"The good news is that it appears that most, if not all of the tainted lifestream now sits in the sealed crates we have in our possession." Raul leaned forward, idly toying with the 1/35 soldiers he had recovered from his quarters. "Cloud should be back soon, considering that Geostigma has officially vanished. I am curious as to what he will report, so I ask that you forward a copy of it to me and see to it that he gets these."

"You're not staying?" The director quirked a brow, reaching to collect his coffee and take a sip.

"You have everything well in hand. Of course, I will make myself available should you truly need me but just as we gave Loz and Yazoo the option of a trade beyond fighting, I've decided on what it is that I wish to do with my life." The Angeal and Genesis figurines were set neatly on the edge of the desk as the clone pushed himself up, stretching idly as he did. "He wanted these for his collection, and he can have them. Payment rendered for the sword."

"Where will you go?" Tuesti reached out, picking up one of them and studying it.

"With how things have calmed down, I decided to get a proper job to earn my pay. And Miss Tifa graciously offered me the title of Dishwasher. It will also keep me close to Midgar should anything happen again." Clasping his hands behind his back, Raul turned slightly to start making his way towards the door as he looked back to watch Reeve. "I have a lot of things to catch up on, and a lot of living to do but should you ever need me..."

The director waved the figurine, before setting it down and chuckling. "Go on then. There's no paperwork to sign, you were hired as a mercenary after all."

The clone bowed slightly, a smile curling the corners of his lips upwards. Closing the door behind him, he turned and almost walked into the red-clad swordsman who stood there with his arms crossed.

"You didn't seriously think you were going to get to Edge without saying goodbye, did you?"

"Gaia, no. Why would I say goodbye to the person I'm dragging along to check out the production of Loveless they have on third street and main?" Raul reached out to clap his friend on the shoulder before turning Genesis and hooking his arm around his shoulder to drag him along. "I spoke with Tifa, and she believes she can order in a particularly fine vintage of red wine, you know."

"Are you -really- going to work at a bar?" Blue eyes narrowed at him even as the red-clad swordsman grudgingly kept pace.

"Of course. How else am I to afford your expensive habit and enjoy the local gossip?"

"Richard! There you are!" Tifa smiled as she hurried over, both remnants flanking her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Not a word, Genesis." Sighing, the clone rubbed the bridge of his nose and ignored the snickering beside him as he nodded. "Of course, Miss Tifa. Shall we?"

The brunette nodded and turned to lead the way, smiling as the red-clad swordsman muttered something about stellar rides and earned himself a punch in the shoulder that sent him staggering dramatically away from Raul. Yazoo and Loz trailed along behind, the former smirking while the latter leaned over and whispered loudly.

"I'm glad we all get to live close to each other! But, uhhh... Who's Richard?"


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon ending (Ending B)  
> was the re-write, and I like it better

The clone made his way carefully through the hustle and bustle of the camp. People were being stationed to keep an eye on all reactors, Yazoo and Loz had reported in that they were still working hard on continuing the reunion and Tseng had notified Reeve that the process to condense the tainted lifestream into materia was going well. Everything seemed to be going well, and that had him worried.

Usually the first casualty was always the plan. Were things truly working out as intended? Bryce had a broken leg, Robert would be laid up for a week with how his chest and side been partially crushed by the debris that Paul had pushed him out of the way. The latter of the three was presumably paralyzed from the waist down, suffering from a spinal injury that the debris had caused.

It was only later that they had found Sidney, barely managing a barrier to keep his insides where they were meant to be. The brave former Second had very nearly been cut in half after bodily throwing Bryce out of the way of the light-forged whip that the monstrosity had wielded, but was tough as nails and it was hoped that he would make a similar recovery to Paul if given enough time and care.

Pushing into the main tent, he blinked at the two rows of staffed desks that had receptionists that were redirecting calls and taking down notes, periodically hustling to Reeve's desk to get an answer for one thing or another only to run back and pick up their headset so that they could relay his words back out to the teams they coordinated. The Director himself was rapidly comparing notes and tacking a path across the eastern continent that began at Midgar and headed west.

"Reeve?"

"Ah, Raul! We have reports coming in that Jenova is headed west. She's making remarkably good time, and seems to be ignoring everything else. Once we know where she's going, we'll let you know. Hold on-" Tuesti gave him a tired smile before he turned back to his work, cellphone tucked against his ear and held there with one shoulder. "Two clicks south? Understood, thank you."

Another pin was tacked into the map, and he used his now free hand to end the call. The clone stepped up to peer at the map, glancing along the projected path to try and determine if he could figure anything out. "West by south west... And in almost a straight line, too."

"Possible destinations anywhere from Nibelheim to the Gold Saucer. Any ideas?" Reeve raked a hand back through his hair, glancing between Raul and the map before straightening as emerald eyes narrowed. "You have an idea."

"Either Nibelheim Reactor or the Crystal Cavern. These are the only two locations that have any significance to hosts with Jenova cells." The clone turned, starting to head towards the exit of the tent before pausing as Tuesti called out to him.

"Wait! You won't make it there before her." The Director flipped his phone back open and began to dial. "Vincent's in that area. We've already notified him, but with how you've narrowed it dow- Vincent! Yes, Lucretia's cave or the reactor. I- What do you mean, don't worry about it?"

Raul blinked, surprised, and stepped towards Reeve to better eavesdrop on the conversation as he tried to tune out the background noise.

_"... Handled... eturn in a few days..."_

"This is Jenova we're talking about. You said she won't fight-" Tuesti frowned, pacing back and forth a few steps as the clone leaned on the desk and tilted his head slightly.

_"... called her, offering herself as a Host. Jenova will not be able to escape. She will be brought to Midgar, and processed."_

"And what if she gets there and doesn't take her up on that offer? What if she decides to fight and eat Lucretia?" The director paused, paling slightly as a voice wholly unfamiliar to the clone rasped through the connection.

_"The hatred for what you call 'Jenova' is a thousand years old. Have some faith, part-time Meatbag. I may not have my old strength, but neither of us here can die, either. The best use for the whelp that's eavesdropping would be to stay there, in the event that the One without Regret loses the fight against the Remorseful One. Besides, the others are coming. We won't fight the parasite alone, if we have to fight it at all."_

_"They're still fighting?"_ Vincent's voice from the background was met with an affirmative grunt from whomever held the phone.

_"Of course. He will need help though. For that, I will have to teach you. But first? Take this back. I can't stand the hum of it."_

_"Reeve,"_ Vincent's voice was much closer to the receiver now, and he sounded solemn. _"We'll take care of this here."_

"Alright." Tuesti glanced at Raul, who held up his hands innocently and smiled. "But if you need reinforcements, I'll make sure that Reno is standing by with Raul on hand."

The call disconnected, and the Director looked to the clone with a slight frown. "I guess... All we can do is manage things here and wait for them."

* * *

_Sephiroth had once been known as the Demon of Wutai, and for a plethora of very good reasons. Efficient, ruthless and an excellent tactician, he had earned every inch of soil his forces had taken and stained it red. There was an understanding between him and the proud people of that war-ravaged land, and it had been born of the seemingly endless conflict. There was no shame in fleeing from him if they encountered him, and he honoured the choices and bravery of those who chose not to by granting them a quick death. Fear tactics could have been useful, but early on he had found himself fond of their way of life and thus chose not to engage in such things._

_It would have been dishonourable, and honour was a concept he had been introduced to and found himself wide-eyed and somewhat in awe of when he had met Angeal. Of course, his father hadn't cared one way or another as long as he remained obedient, so he watched and learned and absorbed this abstract concept like a sponge. An unspoken language understood by warriors everywhere? Something that he could make his, something that could temper him as he quietly grew into the weapon as intended? An invisible, intangible thing that couldn't be taken away from him like the toys he had been given?_

_A young Sephiroth had once been secretly delighted, and smart as he was had quietly woven it into everything he could. He was never as verbose about it as Angeal had been, but at the tender age of sixteen he still hadn't had much in the way of socialization and far preferred to observe and analyze than add to a conversation no matter how hard Genesis tried to get him to talk. It had only taken one social blunder for the silver haired teenager to clam up and put into practice the concept of 'less is more' when it came to talking._

_In this, in what he did now, there was no honour. But then again, the Imposter wasn't of Wutai and didn't believe in the concept of honour either. He sought to use children as a weapon, and that... That was wrong. What had been done to him as a child, had been wrong. What had been done to Aerith, had been wrong. Hojo's dream, Jenova, Shinra and SOLDIER, all of it had been wrong._

_His will surged through the lifestream, clashing repeatedly with that of the Imposter and sending ripples and shock waves like two fish fighting in a small bowl of water. It was akin to fighting a sick, rabid beast; easy to lead around in circles so that it tired itself out as he chipped and whittled away at it. Still, as any cornered animal, any time he got close enough to proverbially get it by the throat it would twist and snap at him and he would lose that last bit of purchase he had gained and had to work to earn it back as Zack and Aerith helped keep the proverbial bowl of water from tipping over and spilling them both out._

_On the other side, everyone was counting on him._

_The memories and thought filled him with determination, and so he grimly fought on._

* * *

The clone had officially seen to everyone he needed to. He had run coffee to Tseng and the engineers in the materia factory. He had checked in with the former soldiers, even the ones that were unconscious by natural and chemical means. He had brought Yazoo and Loz snacks, chatting about and with the ephemeral presence of their third brother, Kadaj as they maintained the controlled pull of the Reunion. He had visited Genesis and made sure the older swordsman was comfortable and flinched at his verbal onslaught that was designed to prompt him towards the event he was avoiding.

The 'event'.

Raul had asked Tifa to share a meal with him, and couldn't remember the last time he had been so nervous. Which, really, was saying something considering that morning he had helped fight Sephiroth. The healing wound through his torso twinged as he thought back to that, and idly the clone laid a hand over it. Maybe he could use it as an excuse not to eat, though really he needed to. Soon his body would stop burning calories and begin burning the mako in his system for a fuel.

With a reluctant sigh, he drew his phone out of his pocket and called the mess tent, hoping there was staff left there that would be able to cater the monstrous meal he would need to carefully navigate so that he didn't look like a pig.

* * *

_Every moment he spent fighting the Imposter was another moment that the tainted lifestream was siphoned away. There was a momentum to it, and with Aerith's help even if the Reunion stopped it wouldn't be easy for the tide to turn back. Sephiroth knew it was only a matter of time now, and knew that the Imposter was aware of it as well by how it was growing increasingly frantic. More difficult to deal with, but that was somewhat offset by how it was steadily growing weaker and smaller. It was preparing for something though, gathering it's strength even as he harried and harassed it._

_If he could only get a proper grip on the consciousness! But it was like trying to hold a double handful of silver oil that was determined to escape, and it-_

_The lifestream shifted, a feeling of it recoiling and trying to get out of the way pervaded his senses before the sea of green he was floating in parted before black tendrils amassed behind him and around him. It was a sea of resentment that contained more of the silver that he was trying hard to keep hold of, of eyes that opened and stared at him and at the silver mass that he had hemmed in with his essence. Brown eyes, blue eyes, black and purple. Red eyes, mako-lit green ones, and a maddening buzz of whispers vibrated around him before glowing gold eyes opened beside him. The screams for vengeance and retribution echoed through him, and for a moment he was determined to fight a war on two fronts before it shifted and slithered around him._

_It was souls, he realized. Just like the lifestream, but instead of those that had passed on peacefully these ones were corrupted by wrath and fear and grief._

_Words cooed through the mass, gathering each voice into itself and focusing them. This was the cause, they cried and wept. This was what took our children, our lovers, our husbands and wives. This is the sickness we have sought, that ended us before our time. The words were whispered and snarled, and he watched as the might of countless lives were brought to bear. Former soldiers, the humanities of those lost to Hojo's and Hollander's experiments, the hundreds lost when the Midgar plate fell, he could feel them as they hurled their essence at the tainted lifestream. They circled it, girding it, choking it and locking it in place, eyes beyond counting focused on the mass as it screamed and thrashed.  
_

_The golden eyes turned towards him, larger than the rest, before narrowing. He could feel the weight of Wutai's dead behind them, but there was an understanding that flowed wordlessly from it. It wasn't there for -him-, not yet. For now, the greater threat would be focused on, but after, maybe, later...  
_

_Sephiroth nodded, and redoubled his efforts._

* * *

The clone had just finished carrying the last container into his tent when his phone went off. Checking the display, he was mildly surprised that it was one of the remnants and answered. "Yazoo? What's wrong?"

_"Everything went dark in the reactor. We can still feel the Reunion, but there is a mass of darkness and eyes below us now. It isn't doing anything, but..."_

"Retreat to a safe distance and hold position. I'm on my w-" Raul paused as Tifa eased the tent flap open and stepped in, smiling slightly. "I... Tifa-"

"No, I understand. We never agreed on where it would be, and nothing was said about sharing food with others, too. Come on. I'll help you carry some of this." The fighter's smile grew, drawing a sigh and a nod from the clone.

"We're on our way, Yazoo. Sit tight."

_"Understood."_

* * *

"I spoke with Reeve on the way over. He's trying to contact Vincent to see if he knows anything about this." Raul sat on some rubble, a take-out container on his lap. He was eating as he thought, Loz tucked up next to him and devouring his own carton of kebabs with all the enthusiasm of a hungry child. Tifa was standing nearby, munching on her own as the slender leaned on the railing and peered down into the darkness. "He seemed to have someone with him who can help him fight Jenova, and I overheard some mention of them bringing her here."

"Mother's colours are usually silvers and sorta pale greens." The burly remnant belatedly lifted a hand to cover his mouth as he spoke and chewed as the clone quirked an eyebrow at him. Hastily, he finished and swallowed, before grinning at the now smiling swordsman. "Sorry Brother. But yeah, it doesn't feel like her either. We tried to reach out? Through the connection? But there wasn't one."

"Whatever it is, it seems content to stay down there and watch. And it doesn't seem to be impeding our efforts." Yazoo gestured with the empty skewer he held, pointing out the swirls and whorls that were dimly visible. "When it first appeared, it was a sea of eyes..."

"But they're gone now! They all closed up, one after the other." Loz gestured with his hands, before frowning and looking towards the pit. "... I think... That Mother's in there though. We heard a woman singing, through the connection."

"A sad song. A lullaby. For children." The slender remnant frowned, shaking his head and leaning back so that he could peer up through the hole in the ceiling that let in the darkening sky. "... It was very sad."

"She seemed very sorry." The burly remnant's frown grew, and he shook his head as well. "But she also sorta... Felt happy?"

"It still doesn't hurt anything for us to sit here and monitor it. The four of us are perhaps the four most resourceful, reliable and resilient people working with the WRO. If anything happens, we're on hand to deal with it." Raul smiled, and set his empty container aside in favour of a full one from the stack he and Tifa had carried over together.

* * *

_The lifestream was clean, save for his essence. The last of Jenova and the Imposter's taint had finally been pumped out, and all that remained that was neither in the lifestream nor being processed into materia was that of the Remnants and the former Soldiers. All of which they had years to devise a way to deal with. He would have sighed if he had a corporeal body to do so with.  
_

_Eyes watched him. Gold eyes. Red eyes. The eyes of Wutai's dead. He had the distinct feeling that he was being judged, that the dark mass that swirled along the edges of the current that held him was gauging him and his actions. There was a wordless question, an indication that it wondered if he was satisfied with this, or if he too was one of the restless dead that could not move on so long as the parasite was still a threat._

_Was it? He wondered about that, considering it was now trapped in materia form. What could it do?_

_What could any materia do, was his answer. Jenova could be summoned across the world if they fell into the wrong hands. Was he willing to remain, to fight it until the end of time? Would he be able to rest peacefully if he didn't? What of the wishes of Wutai's dead?_

_He paused at that. What did they want with him? Did they not want bloody retribution?_

_The gold eyes seemed to smile for a moment._

_Well, yes, they told him. But actually no._

* * *

_"Vincent finally returned my call. He seemed surprised that the effects of what he was doing would reach so far, but confirmed that he had a hand in it._ _"_ Reeve's voice was relieved as Raul nodded, phone to his ear. Leaning, he peered down into the pit that had once housed mako and tainted lifestream and hummed.

"Well, it seems to have disappeared. All that's left is for the stored tainted lifestream to be compacted down into materia and..." The clone paused, frowning. "... Well, I maintain that loading them onto a rocket and firing them off into the sun would be an effective method of destroying them."

 _"We'll review the idea and discuss it. In the mean time, I've authorized medical leave for everyone injured. That includes you, Raul. Go and get some rest. I hear Costa del Sol is nice this time of year."_ Tuesti's voice was laced with a smile.

"Certainly, but I hear Loveless is putting on a new production in Edge, and I know of a truly heavenly bar that sells the best drinks." The clone turned towards Tifa, who was stifling snickers with one hand and nodding.

* * *

Reeve hung up, before sighing and rubbing his temples. He had retreated to his personal tent, and was just about to start working on the stack of paperwork that he had taken with him when his cellphone rang once more. Another sigh escaped him before he flipped it open and answered it.

"Reeve spea-"

_"Reeve Tuesti. Director of the WRO."_

He thought it was Raul for a moment, but knew better as he thought about the difference in the cadence between the two.

 _"You were the one individual within Shinra that sought the betterment of the planet._ "

"Is Vincent there? As you seem to be calling from his cellphone, I would hate to think anything untoward has happened to him." Tuesti pushed himself to his feet, tucking an arm behind him as he did so that he could turn and pace around his desk.

_"He is fine. I will hand the phone to him, if you wish confirmation. I understand how... Delicate, the situation may seem."_

Reeve pondered as to whether or not the voice on the phone was bluffing, and turned to face the entry of his tent. Shifting to the flap, he flagged down a runner, held a finger up to his lips and then pointed over to where Genesis was lounging atop one of the trucks and reading a book. The aide nodded and took off, even as the Director ducked back into his tent. "Yes, please, if you wouldn't mind."

The line was silent for a moment before the ex-turk spoke.

_"Reeve."_

"Is that who I think it is?"

_"It is. He emerged from the Lifestream half an hour ago."_

"That's not long after the last contact I had with you." The tent flap opened, and a very irritated-looking red-clad swordsman pushed his way into the space and opened his mouth to talk as Tuesti raised his voice slightly and pointed to the phone. "Wonderful! So tell me, is that the -good- Sephiroth or the -bad- Sephiroth with you?"

Genesis stood there with his mouth open for a long moment as Vincent responded.

_"It is Lucretia's son. He intends to pay his debt to Wutai's dead, and guard the materia forged from the essence of the Calamity. He wishes to coordinate with you."_

"Do you believe him?" Reeve leaned to snag a pen and flipped a piece of paperwork over, quickly writing along the back of it and holding it out to the red-clad swordsman.

_"He is burdened now with Wutai's dead. Chaos went into great detail regarding what it is they would do to him should he begin to serve the Calamity once more. He has no choice but to serve as the planet wishes._ _"_

Genesis nodded as he read over what Tuesti had written down and bolted out of the tent. The rustle of feathers announced his intention, and barely a moment later his shadow was fliting over the tent as he headed west by south west. The Director sighed, before moving to sit back down at his desk and tapped the pen against his paperwork a few times.

"... Very well. Put him back on the phone, then."

* * *

Geostigma was cured. The official announcement was that the sympotoms had faded as a direct result of Jenova and Sephiroth having successfully been purged from the lifestream. Within a handful of months the world already looked a little greener, with plant life starting to thrive as the lifestream began to properly recover. It would be years, decades, maybe even centuries before it was back to what it should have been, but in the meantime the WRO had largely traded their weapons for shovels and were working hard to help where they could. Reports of monster attacks were declining, though there was the odd one or two here and there.

Loz and Yazoo had resumed chocobo breeding and racing, and gained a fair numbers of supporters and followers with their determination to put half of any winnings into the pockets of the WRO, becoming one of the major sources of funding for Reeve who thanked them profusely and worked with the slender remnant from time to time on infrastructure and advancing humanity's technology. Genesis had largely vanished, save for the few sightings near Edge the odd time Raul could call him in to watch a play or chat for a few moments. For the clone himself...

He had finally written a letter to his mother in Cosmo Canyon, reassuring her that he was alive and safe and that no matter what he looked like, he was still her little boy. She had promptly packed up and searched for him, finding him with a stable job working as a bartender and chef at a little bar known as 7th Heaven. Tifa was delighted to meet her, and helped set her up at one of the hotels close by for the duration of her stay.

The world had largely settled, lacking any great threats on the horizon, and Raul leaned back in his chair as he stretched and yawned, enjoying the sunset from the roof.

"I thought I might find you up here."

The fighter's voice drew the clone from his thoughts, and he partially turned to see she had a wrapped sandwich in one hand and another chair in the other.

"Care for some company?"

"By all means. There is space enough for six up here, let alone two." Still, Raul shifted his chair so that she could set hers down and he could partially face her, deftly rescuing the sandwich.

"You know, I never did get a private dinner with you." Tifa glanced over, smiling as the clone almost fumbled his half of the sandwich and then looked up at her guiltily, holding the other half out to her. "I don't think a sandwich counts, considering I made it myself."

"I, ahh..."

"How about this. After you eat that, we'll both go down to the kitchen and make a proper meal, just like we did last time. The bar's closed, Marlene and Denzel are sleeping over at a friend's house. That leaves... Well, you and me." Her smile grew as Raul narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"The last time we cooked together with nobody else in the building, it ended up with spaghetti on one of the walls and..." Swallowing slightly, the clone failed to fight the way his face was turning red at the memories. "... I am... Eternally apologetic about how I cleared the counter for you. We were cleaning glass off of the floor for weeks."

"Do you regret it?" The brunette reached out to take his hand, gently squeezing it as the red spread to his ears and down his neck.

"Well, no."

"Good. Because I've already cleared the table, and have some ideas about how we could use that space." She tugged his hand gently as she stood, grinning fully now.

The clone abandoned the sandwich without a second thought, leaving it behind as he followed her down into the house and into the circle of her arms.


End file.
